Young Blood: The 19th Hunger Games
by Grand Coconut
Summary: 24 go in; 1 comes out... Join 24 tributes on a journey full of twists and turns as they compete for victory. Rated T for bad language and gore.
1. The Tributes

**District 1 [Luxury]**

M: Lucius (Kramer) Kramer (16)

F: Velvet Forbes (17)

**District 2 [Masonry]**

M: Jude Devereux (18)

F: Knives Sinclair (16)

**District 3 [Technology]**

M: Cain Tesla (16)

F: Lithium Lumiere (17)

**District 4 [Fishing]**

M: Raegan Pike (18)

F: Marina Ophelius (18)

**District 5 [Power]**

M: Freddie St. Clair (17)

F: Salome Bucks (16)

**District 6 [Transportation]**

M: Ike Ladage (16)

F: Wisteria Cade (12)

**District 7 [Lumber]**

M: Aspen Buckley (12)

F: Petunia Barker (12)

**District 8 [Textiles]**

M: Rory Rivera (15)

F: Flora Costello (18)

**District 9 [Grain]**

M: Lyle Fitzpatrick (13)

F: Cherry Pavone (16)

**District 10 [Livestock]**

M: Haven Hanover (14)

F: Lorelei Sykes (15)

**District 11 [Agriculture]**

M: Teddy Nelson (12)

F: Talulah Cooper (14)

**District 12 [Coal Mining]**

M: Sully McCormick (17)

F: Adelaide Quick (14)


	2. District One Reaping

Velvet sat in a lavender purple chair in the academy's lobby, twirling a lock of her blonde hair in her hands. She was waiting for her friends to meet her here so they could walk to the reaping together. This wasn't just any reaping though, this was her reaping. Velvet was the selected volunteer for this year's Hunger Games. Out of the one hundred something girls at the academy, they had picked her to be the female volunteer. She was beside herself when she heard the news and had felt like royalty ever since.

Looking down on the coffee table, she pulled the latest issue of a capitol magazine out of the stack. On the cover was a model dressed in bubblegum pink colors and around her were the names of featured stories. Velvet's fingers flipped the pages, eyes scanning the articles and images of the high tech capitol. She sighed dreamily and pressed the magazine to her chest. Soon, she would be on the cover of one of these. She could see it now. _Velvet Forbes: The Victor of The Nineteenth Annual Hunger Games._ It had a ring to it and she liked that.

She flicked her long, blonde hair over her shoulder as she leaned back in her chair, fantasizing about fame and fortune. Her eyes fluttered shut and she imagined the crowds of people screaming her name, cameras flashing, and signing autographs. She wondered what winning would be like, she was sure it would be amazing. She thought about what outfits she would wear on the victory tour and how many fans she would have time to meet. There were-

"Velvet!" a high pitched voice broke in. Velvet's eyelids flew open, revealing her 3 best friends standing before her. There was a girl and two boys.

She was so engrossed in her mind, she hadn't even heard them coming. "What's up?" Velvet smiled sweetly, pulling herself out of her thoughts.

"Daydreaming again, are you?" the girl with fiery red hair, Poppy, laughed.

Velvet just smirked, her brown eyes glittering mischievously. "They won't be daydreams for long, Poppy."

Poppy had been her best friend since they first started training at the academy. Velvet hadn't known anyone at first, but Poppy was always friendly and they really hit it off. The two had been friends ever since, always joking and playing around. Except when it came to training because Velvet took that very seriously. After all, what victor didn't train? Through the years, Velvet and Poppy had became some of the most popular girls at the academy.

"So do you guys wanna get going?" the boy with shining black hair, Jasper, asked excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah." Velvet replied quickly as she set the glossy magazine back down on the coffee table and smiled. Next time she read one of those it would be featuring her inside.

She shot out of her chair with a big grin on her face. "I'm so excited guys. I'm gonna be famous soon!" She cried, skipping towards her friends.

"First you actually have to win." The tall boy with blonde hair, Cronus, pointed out, humorlessly.

Velvet shot him a smile. "And I will. We both know that."

* * *

Whenever Lucius Kramer wandered down the pristine streets of District One, his name would begin to snake it's way into the conversations of bystanders. That's the way it had had always been, ever since he had bludgeoned that boy to death on the school's playground. Lingering in the wind were the faint whispers of those who thought they knew about this dangerous boy.

He could only frown and sigh as he pretended not to hear them.

The wind was gentle, like the soft flutter of a butterfly's wings on the crook of his neck. It was a warm day in May and the smell of distant flowers drifted through the air. Kramer brushed his scarlet hair away from his forehead as he walked towards the town square.

Today was the reaping, one of the biggest celebrations in District One. Everyone seemed to be really excited about it. Well, everyone except Kramer. He hated District One and their stupid shenanigans about the games. They were such fools to praise them. More people in the district died than they won, yet they still volunteered for it. They were all idiots to think they could actually win.

This years tributes were Velvet Forbes and Chastin Landrum, two typical careers. Velvet was a blonde ditz who didn't strike Kramer as either very smart or realistic, and Chastin wasn't a willing volunteer but he was being forced to by the academy.

Kramer walked towards the reaping pens. At registration, a lady with blonde hair pricked his finger and stamped it onto a paper. Kramer stayed there for a moment, looking at the blood bead on the tip of his finger. Red and shiny. He'd be lying if he said he didn't like blood, because he did. He didn't hide it actually. People knew he was a bit off, but Kramer didn't care. He didn't care about anyone except his younger brother and his mother. The only people that actually loved him.

Kramer moved swiftly towards the sixteen year old's section and already, the whispering was reaching his ears. The other kids didn't see him that often since he got expelled for his murder when he was fourteen and thrown in jail for two years afterwards. He had just been released this past January.

All around, he felt eyes on him. Kramer knew he was noticed, but he didn't mind though. He only caught ends and beginnings of people's words, hushed and careful.

"I heard he tried to..."

"...His name's Kramer."

"I saw it..."

"...He killed him."

The talking stopped when the mayor walked onstage. He was a thin, old man with shaky hands and wore a black and white suit. As the mayor began his speech, Kramer let his hazel eyes wander across the vast crowd.

He scanned the thirteen year old's section until he found his brother. He could see Bentley shaking, afraid, even though there was nothing to be scared of. He had told his brother before that there were volunteers every year so he wouldn't be going into the arena even if he tried. He knew he was still scared though. Kramer stared at his brother until Bentley's eyes met his. Kramer smiled and nodded his head once, encouragingly. This seemed to calm him down a bit, but Kramer could still see that his composure was stiff.

"Hello District One!" the escort squealed into the microphone. Kramer flinched to attention as he turned his head towards the stage. The escort, Arietty, was possibly his least favorite face in the world. This year she was dripping in lavender and lime colors and her skin was dyed a light shade of purple to compliment her sparkling lilac hair.

"It's time to select our two brave tributes for this years Hunger Games. Are we ready?" She asked the crowd.

They screamed in response.

"Let's get to it then." She smiled.

The crowd was quivering with excitement as she walked towards the ladies bowl. With a dip of her hand, she picked up a slip of paper. The click-clack of her high heels filled the town square as she walked back to the microphone and opened it up in front of the district.

"The lucky lady this year is..." She drawled. "Sorrel Voss!"

A girl from the seventeen's section began walking when a feminine voice rang out.

"I volunteer!" Velvet Forbes yelled. She leaped towards the stage as her long, blonde hair flipped in the wind.

Kramer curled his lip in disgust. He already hated this girl, willingly walking into a death match like that. What a moron.

"My, such a beautiful girl!" Arietty said as she took Velvet's hand in one of her own. Velvet just batted her lashes and smiled at the crowd. "Do you mind telling us your name?"

Velvet took the microphone. "My name is Velvet Forbes, your future victor."

"Such confidence!" Arietty gasped, astonished. "Best of luck to you, Velvet."

Velvet continued to smile.

"Time for the boys." Arietty declared as she strode towards the boy's bowl. This time she plunged her hand into to the very bottom of the bowl to pull a name. With a flick of her wrist, she removed a single slip of paper and walked back over to the microphone. She carefully unfolded the slip and cleared her throat.

"Lucius Kramer!"

The whispering started again.

Kramer forced a deep, shaking breath into his lungs he heard his name and automatically started walking.

_It's fine, someone will volunteer,_ he thought.

The whole crowd fell silent as he parted from the sixteen year old's section. This boy was nothing but trouble to most of them and they were afraid of Kramer, of course they would be quiet.

_Someone will volunteer,_ he kept thinking to himself.

Kramer felt the cameras focusing in on him and turned to look at one of them. He glared at it before he started walking up the stage. He took his time stepping up the stairs as he glanced at Chastin Landrum, this year's selected volunteer. He was standing in the front row and a boy was whispering something in his ear. Chastin was nodding. Kramer thought he heard his name part from the boys lips.

Kramer reached the top of the stairs, the escort's queue. "Are there any volunteers?"

Silence.

_Why isn't anyone volunteering?_

That's when it hit him. No one would be volunteering for him. This was their chance to get rid of him. The crazy killer that made them sleep with one eye open had just been reaped, why not let him go to the games and die? They wanted to get rid of him, they wanted him gone. This was their chance. They could spare a volunteer. Chastin didn't want to go anyway.

Kramer's face twisted into one of pure hatred and anger. He clenched his fists and marched towards the microphone.

"Such a brave man, is there anything you'd like to say to Panem, Lucius?" Arietty asked.

"Yeah." Kramer spat. And with that he shoved his middle finger into the air, flipping off the whole nation.

* * *

**A/N: aaaand the first reaping is done. I really like these guys, I hope you do too! This is my first story, so be nice, haha. I've finally got around to putting up this first chapter because i just got my wisdom teeth pulled out on the 18th and I've been home a lot lately, so i figured this would be a good time to get this story started. Yeah anyways, up next is District Two and I'll try to update tomorrow since I already have that chapter done. Til then.**


	3. District Two Reaping

This was the year.

The year that Jude would volunteer for and win the Hunger Games, bringing the greatest glory to District Two. He had been training for this day since he was seven years old, and now it was finally here. This was about to be the most important day of his life.

Pure excitement pulsed through him as he slit the throat of a dummy, imagining it being a real hot-blooded human. In the arena, he would kill precisely and quickly. He knew District Two was famous for sadists and hidden psychopaths, but Jude was not one of them. He had a plan for the arena that involved only killing in cold blood.

"Jude, it's time." A voice broke in. His mother, of course.

"Mom, I told you not to bother me for another five minutes. I have until exactly 9:00 to train." Jude pointed out, irritation clear in his voice.

"Five minutes isn't going to do anything. I said get ready and I didn't come all the way downstairs for nothing." His mother shot back in a dominant voice.

"Fine." Jude mumbled, putting his knife down.

Jude frowned as he marched up the basement steps. He was extremely agitated that his schedule had been thrown off by a small five minutes. It would surely bother him for the next hour or so. That was the thing with Jude though, he was extremely precise and was only satisfied with exact plans and order. The only time he would be able to tolerate mishaps were to be in the arena. Jude knew disorder was bound to happen during the games and he planned to cope with that well. He was very decisive and sharp, that was why he was chosen to volunteer though.

Jude ran up the stairs, showered, and got dressed. He slicked his dark hair back with a gel and combed it back. He sighed as he looked at his handsomely chiseled face in the mirror. He wondered he'd look the same after the games.

Walking down stairs, he found his parents and older brothers waiting for him. He ignored his mother as he sat down at the table, his chin lifted haughtily. She had ruined his last five minutes of training and did not deserve his attention right now.

After breakfast, Jude wasted no time walking out the door and into the streets of District Two. He wanted to be early for the reapings so that he would get the best spot in the eighteen year old's section. More importantly, he wanted to be early because that meant less time spent with his mother.

* * *

"Blades, lets go!" Knives called to her twin brother from the door.

"I'm coming, just give me a minute!" He called back from the upstairs bathroom.

Late. Always late. Knives growled in disgust. If she didn't have to wait for her brother, she'd have been on time for the reaping. This was a very special day for her and Blades just had to make her late. The chosen female career for this year's games had broken her leg days ago and the volunteer spot was open for anyone. Knives planned to take it.

"I'm ready! I'm ready!" he yelled breathlessly as he bounded down the stairs. His dark brown hair was messy and shoes were untied.

"We're gonna have to run now, Blades!" Knives yelled back angrily as she hopped off the porch.

She couldn't see it, but Blades smirked from behind her. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" He yelled as he bolted off in front of her. Knives ran after her brother.

By the time they got there, the escort, Gem, was introducing herself and Knives breathed a sigh of relief. She had made it. Blades had just finished getting his finger pricked when Knives turned back to look. The two waved goodbye and separated into their designated sections. Knives had to push a few girls out of the way to get to a spot by the ropes. She needed to be closest to the stage if she wanted to volunteer.

There were probably 40 girls that she'd have to outrun to get to the stage, but that was okay because Knives had a plan. As the escort was speaking about how great it was to be back in District Two again, Knives began to slip through the crowd to the eighteen year old's section, pushing angry girls out of the way. After all, what were they gonna do right now? She wedged herself into the front carefully, right next to the base of the stage. She was ready.

"Time for the girls." Gem announced as she walked towards the bowl on the right. She slipped her hand inside and drew a single slip. Knives tensed her muscles. _Just read it_.

"Daphne G-"

Knives didn't even hear the whole name. Just like that, girls went flying. Knives sprinted up the base of the stage and onto the steps. One girl tried grabbing her foot but Knives used her free one to kick her in the face. The girl shrieked in anger and pain and let go. Knives scrambled onto the stage in a leaping jump.

"I volunteer!" She yelled. Knives landed with a crash onto the stage and cringed.

"I volunteer!" Knives repeated as she turned her head towards the escort, checking for more attackers. "I volunteer!"

Gem smiled. "Everyone calm down!" She said into the microphone. "We have our volunteer."

She turned back towards Knives and helped her up. "And what is your name, dear?" Gem asked kindly.

Knives tried to catch her breath "Knives." She huffed. "Knives Sinclair."

"Well that was quite an entrance, Knives." The escort laughed, and several past victors that lined the stage laughed too. Knives smiled nervously. She could feel her cheeks heating up. "Thank you." She said as nicely as she could.

"Well, time for the boys." The escort announced as she turned back towards the crowd. She dipped her hand into their bowl and pulled a name. She crossed the gap back towards the microphone and cleared her throat.

"Hunter Garcia." she said steadily,

"I volunteer." Came a calm, bass voice. A tall, lithe boy slipped though the eighteen year old's section and emerged out of the crowd. Knives noted that he was very handsome, with dark black hair and cold grey eyes. He looked like he was sculpted by the gods. He walked to the stage and Gem had to keep herself from drooling. "What uh, what is your name?" She stuttered, handing him the microphone.

"Jude Devereux." he said evenly, his eyes critically scanning the crowd, making sure they knew his face.

"Well District Two, we have our tributes!" Gem said, her composure regained. "Tributes, shake hands."

Jude turned to Knives, a ghost of a smile on his lips. No doubt her volunteering scene had amused him.

All Knives could do was look down, avoiding his wicked grey eyes.

* * *

**A/N: As promised, here is District Two. I like these two, I think they're going to be some interesting characters. It's early on in this story, but my head is so full of ideas. I'm really happy, you guys. So the power went out last night and i almost couldn't update today, but it came back on, so everything's fine. It's funny, I never realized how much i rely on electricity and wifi until it's gone. I am a true child of this generation. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. District Three is up next!**


	4. District Three Reaping

Lithium awoke to a cold draft floating past her, making her shiver. In her dream, she had been back home in her normal life, but looking around, she saw that she was far from it. Her foot was chained to the wall, trapping her in this brick and cement jail cell.

She did feel trapped. Never in a million years did she think she'd get caught, but just one peacekeeper lurking after hours changed that. She smirked to herself. The peacekeepers had thought they'd stopped her, but little did they know, Lithium had snuck her razors in with her. If she couldn't slice up someone else, then she'd slice up herself. Either way, she'd be seeing blood. Dark red, slippery blood.

With a drag of her razor, she slit her collarbone in one swift motion, just enough so that the blood would drip. She had mastered the art of cutting, but not for the reasons one would think.

"At it again, Lithium?" A sleepy voice asked.

Lithium turned to her cellmate, Henna, with a smile. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" She asked, ignoring her question.

Henna sighed as she stretched her aching limbs. "Just about as good as I'll ever sleep on these stiff beds." She yawned. "How about you?"

Lithium shrugged. "It was hard. I can't sleep that well knowing I'm in a jail cell."

Henna nodded understandingly.

Lithium had been in jail for three days now. Three days since she had been caught. She was arrested immediately and thrown in here with Henna. She had come to learn that Henna wasn't a bad person, not even deranged. No, she had just been caught stealing some technology software to earn money. Henna didn't belong here, she was just doing what she had to do to get by.

"Did you overhear the guards last night?" Henna asked.

"No I had fallen asleep by then." Lithium replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I heard them." Henna mumbled. Something in her voice made Lithium wonder if something was wrong.

"Who were the guards?" Lithium asked, changing the subject. "Eris? Because he is absolutely delicious. Do you know what I would do to him?"

"Lithium." Her cell mate's face turned serious, all humor gone. "They're having you executed after the reapings."

Suddenly, Lithium felt like Henna had just dunked her in ice. Fear swam through her, her calm composure breaking for a split second. "Wh-what?" Lithium asked, shocked.

"Your crime. I heard them say it was so bad, so sinister. It's what the head peacekeeper ordered." Henna explained. "This is awful."

"No." Lithium said steadily. "No."

She turned to Henna. "They're not getting rid of me that easily." Lithium said darkly.

* * *

"Move it, nerd." A boy commanded as he shoved Cain out of his way. Stumbling over his own feet, Cain fell face first onto the road, sending his book flying out of his hands. The boy and his friends pointed and laughed before being whisked away into their designated sections.

Cain on the other hand was flushing pink with embarrassment and hoped no one else had seen him. Scrambling for his fallen book, he winced at the painful impact the fall had on his knee and pulled it towards him to find a fresh scrape just beginning to drip blood. "Great." He muttered to his knee. "Just great."

"Get moving, kid." A peacekeeper barked at him.

Standing back up, Cain sighed. One would figure that being a nerd was socially acceptable in District Three, but no, he was still picked on. Cain had very few friends and was never accepted among his peers. It hurt to say, but he was used to it.

Walking to the sixteen year old's section, Cain was quiet. He didn't want to give anyone a reason to speak to him. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and took a spot near the ropes of the pens.

"Hello, District Three." The escort said into the microphone with a grin. Cain smiled softly to himself. He really did like the escort, Griffin, even though most kids hated him because he was from the capitol. Griffin seemed nice, like someone who wouldn't make fun of Cain.

"I'm so happy to be your escort for another year. Last year was great, but I have a feeling this year will be even better!" Griffin smiled.

Cain winced to himself, remembering last year's Hunger Games. Two kids from his grade were chosen. The girl died in the bloodbath and the boy made it all the way to the top six before being stabbed to death by the psychotic killer from District Seven. It hurt Cain's heart to remember them.

"Now, it is time to chose two courageous tributes to fight in this year's Hunger Games. Are we ready?" Griffin asked. He was met with silence.

"Okay then, let's do the boys first this time." Griffin said, changing it up.

He waltzed over to the boys bowl, his golden curls sparkling in the light. He drew a single slip out of the center of the bowl and returned to the microphone. The edges of Cain's visioned darkened with fear. He couldn't imagine being chosen, but the thought still terrified him.

"And the brave make tribute is..." He drawled. "Cain Tesla!"

Cain froze. What did he just say? Cain?

"Oh no oh no no no, no, oh no." A tortured moan filled the air.

Numbly, Cain realized it was his own voice. He tried moving his legs, but it seemed as if he had forgotten how to walk. Standing there, frozen, he felt the crowd part. They were revealing him. Exposing him.

Cain vaguely felt two strong hands grip his shoulder and drag him forward. He didn't fight them. The peacekeepers dragged him up the stage until he was standing next to the escort, Griffin. It was as if Cain had forgotten how to control his own body. He couldn't move. He couldn't talk. He was just frozen.

"Are there any volunteers?" Griffin asked the crowd.

None.

Cain felt some feeling come back to him as Griffin patted him on the shoulder sympathetically before moving towards the girl's bowl. Griffin plucked a white slip from the bowl and held it high as he walked back to the microphone.

And the female tribute is..." He cleared his throat. "Pixel Watson."

A small girl from the thirteen year old's section parted from the crowd. She had blonde hair and watery blue eyes. Cain, frozen on the outside, felt deeply sorry for the girl inside. She was so little and frail, she'd be a bloodbath for sure.

Griffin wasted no time, surely not wanting to prolong this girl's sadness in front of the cameras. "Are there any volunteers?" He asked, even though he knew the answer was no. But to his surprise, he was wrong.

"I volunteer." A girl from the seventeen year old's section called out. She parted from the crowd with a smile. She had long, blonde hair and icy blue eyes. She was absolutely beautiful, even though under her eyes were faded purple bruises, surely from a lack of sleep and Cain noticed several long healing cuts on her arms and collarbones. Also, her hands were cuffed behind her back. Perhaps she was in jail? How strange.

"My god, a volunteer!" Griffin exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down on the balls of his feet and clapping. "What is your name, dear?"

"Lithium Lumiere." the girl said into the microphone.

"Lithium Lumiere, what a name." Griffin said, breath taken. "Best of luck!"

Cain once again noticed something strange about this beautiful girl. Her eyes were different up close. They seemed almost... dark. Cain saw how she eyed Griffin like a dog when his back was turned. It confused him.

"Well tributes, shake hands." Griffin said, motioning the two together.

Lithium glanced at Cain and smiled. Cain was too shaken to smile back. A peacekeeper uncuffed Lithium's hands from behind and she stretched out her hand. Seeing Cain wouldn't move, she just took his hand into her own and shook it tightly.

_There is definitely something strange about her_, Cain thought.

* * *

**A/N: And viola, that's District Three. These two are some of my faves and I swear, you won't be bored by them. I really enjoyed writing this chapter because I like these two a lot. District Four is up next!**


	5. District Four Reaping

The ocean was always special at sunrise. There was just something so beautiful about the silence that haunted the beach during the early hours of the morning. Marina looked out into the vast ocean as the crashing waves lapped her feet.

The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a pink glow over the blue waves. The ocean seemed to go on forever. Marina's eyes scanned it thoughtfully, wondering where it led to.

She sighed heavily. Today was the day. The day that Marina would volunteer for the Hunger Games. She didn't really want to, but her family really needed the money and her parents had blackmailed her into telling the academy she would do it. The academy went right along with it because they knew what a talent she was with the trident. They hadn't seen anyone like her in ages.

Marina was a passive girl. She didn't want to disappoint her parents by not volunteering, so she decided to do it. It hurt her inside to know she was walking into death, but she would do it if that made her family proud. Her father had told her if she were to die, it would be one of the most noble ways to go. She didn't want to think about that though. She just wanted to swim in the ocean one last time.

She descended into the water with graceful steps. Submerging her head under the waves, she shook her long black hair out. When she resurfaced, she flipped around and floated on her back. Deep breath in, shallow breath out- that was the trick to floating.

Marina was a whiz in the water. Her little sister said she reminded her of a mermaid with her long, wavy hair and bright blue eyes.

Marina swam until the sun rose above the waves, illuminating the whole sky with light. Her fingers had shriveled up like raisins and her arms felt like noodles from propelling herself through the water for so long.

"Marina!" A voice called out suddenly.

Marina flinched at the sound. She recognized the voice- her mother. With a heavy sigh, she swam to shore, abandoning her sanctuary.

* * *

Raegan was a haughty boy. He was always walking around with a smirk on his face and his head lifted defiantly. He had shaggy black hair and piercing brown eyes that seemed to look through one's very soul. He was good looking and he knew it too. Raegan was unique in District Four, as most people had golden hair and sea green eyes. Raegan was like a black sheep.

A real sadist, he couldn't wait for the games. It was so exciting to think about getting blood underneath his fingernails and slitting people's throats as they begged for mercy. The thoughts made him want to laugh. Anyone who thought they had a chance against him was a fool.

As he walked to the reaping, he saw the stage was sprinkled with orchids and tiger-lilies, adding to the tropical look. Vines crawled up the pillars and past victors lined the stage. There were four past victors, and soon, Raegan would be the fifth.

The stage was surrounded by the crystal blue ocean on three sides. The reaping was taking place on a peninsula, a popular backdrop for District Four celebrations. Raegan could see the escort, Aqua Begula, chatting with the past victors. Aqua was dyed cerulean this year with glittering light blue hair dotted with crystals. Raegan snorted as he thought she looked rather ridiculous.

As the reaping began, Raegan zoned out. He didn't care about the boring old mayor, he cared about the volunteering. As the mayor's speech ended, Aqua took the stage, twirling to the microphone. "Good morning, District Four! It is an honor to be back this year. I'm hoping for another victor, aren't you?"

The crowd roared.

"Well let's get to it then. Ladies, you're up first." Aqua said with an excited smile.

She spun around to the female bowl and drew a slip. She took her time walking back to the microphone before unfolding the name.

"Misty White!" Aqua sang into the microphone.

"I volunteer!" A voice rang out immediately.

Raegan watched as a girl with long, curling black hair and light blue eyes ran up to the stage in long strides. She was quite beautiful if he did say so himself. She looked vaguely familiar too.

"What is your name, sweetheart?" Aqua asked with adoring eyes.

"Marina Ophelius." The girl said into the microphone.

"What a pretty name. Marina, best of luck in the games." Aqua said to her with a large grin. "I'm sure you'll pull in a lot of sponsors, you're one of the most beautiful tributes I've seen in ages!"

"Thank you, Aqua." Marina smiled, blushing.

Moving on, Aqua only took a minute to grab the boys slip and walk back to the microphone.

"And now, time for the boys." Aqua grinned. "Lachlan Pierce."

This was Raegan's queue. "I volunteer!" He called in a masculine voice, moving through the crowd quickly. He emerged with an arrogant smirk and a devil's glint in his eyes- he looked rather intimidating. Raegan climbed onto the stage and yanked the microphone out of Aqua's blue hands. He ignored Aqua as she audibly gasped.

"My name is Raegan Pike, and you will be seeing a lot of me once I win the games, so get used to this face." he said with superiority in his voice before shoving the microphone back into the escort's hands. Raegan truly did believe that he was the best there ever was and It shocked Aqua to see such an attitude from a District Four tribute, the typical weak links of the Careers.

It was clear that this year's tribute were opposites. Aqua could tell that Marina was a passive type of girl, whereas Raegan was an aggressive wildebeast. She didn't like the boy, but he'd have to do. Raegan stood there with the same smirk on his lips and Marina visibly shrunk under his presence. Aqua briefly wondered if Marina disliked Raegan as much as she was beginning to.

"Well, uh um, shake hands, tributes." Aqua said, still flabbergasted by this boy's arrogance.

Raegan shook Marina's delicate hand rather aggressively and flashed her a wide grin. She smiled back, only more softly. Raegan didn't even wave to the crowd as he walked off stage, leaving Marina up there all alone. He didn't care about them, he cared about going into the Hunger Games already. Raegan was ready to get down and dirty.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah yeah, I know this chapter was short, but the next one will be longer, i promise. District Five is next!**


	6. District Five Reaping

Other girls hated her. She knew it too. Maybe that's why they were so nasty all the time. Currently, Salome was in Chemistry class, learning about electrons and protons and how they connected. The truth was, she didn't care about molecules, she was just enjoying the view of her favorite teacher.

Salome had been seeing Mr. Black in secret for about two months now. There was just something about older men that interested her. In particular, there was just something about Mr. Black that interested her. Perhaps it was the way he'd push his glasses up the bridge of his nose like that or the rough sound of his voice. Salome liked to think that it was just everything combined into one.

When she pulled herself out of her thoughts was when the sound of hushed female voices reached her ears.

"She's such a whore." One girl, who Salome knew as Brooke, whispered.

"Oh yeah, I know. I heard she..." another girl began, but Salome stopped listening.

With a snort, Salome rolled her eyes. At least she wasn't so insecure that she had to gossip about other girls like that.

"What was that?" Brooke spoke up, referring to the noise Salome made.

Salome eyed her with her arms crossed for a moment. "Oh nothing." She sang, mockingly.

"Are you sure, slut?" Brooke asked with a smirk.

Salome narrowed her eyes, studying Brooke. "Is there a reason you keep calling me that?"

"Well, you can't deny that it's the truth." Brooke laughed, her friend snickering along.

And that was it. When Brooke turned her head, Salome grabbed her by the hair and smashed her head into the lab table. A sickening crack broke the air and Salome hoped it was her nose. Brooke lifted her head, eyes wild and blood spilling from her nose.

"You..." Brooke began. "You bitch!" She screamed as she hurled herself at Salome.

The girl slammed into her and knocked her over. As Brooke socked Salome in the jaw, a chorus of voices rang out. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Salome twisted herself on top of Brooke. It was her turn. With alternating fists, Salome punched Brooke in the face, hard. Left, right, left, right. She kept hitting until strong hands wrapped themselves around her waist and heaved her up and off of Brooke. She knew it was the teacher.

Mr. Black pulled her to her feet and marched her out the door of the classroom with a tight grip on her arm.

"I can walk by myself." She muttered as she yanked her arm free from Mr. Black.

He closed the door to the classroom and took a step back. "Miss Bucks." He said strictly, causing Salome to roll her eyes. "I am just shocked at your behavior."

"Come on, don't act like she didn't deserve it." Salome drawled, irritation rolling off her words.

Mr. Black shrugged. "Alright then, i won't, but it was still wrong either way. I'm actually rather appalled that you did that. I didn't think you were the fighting type."

"I'm not." Salome muttered as her eyes met the ground. "How much trouble am I in."

"That's for the principal to decide." Mr. Black replied.

Salome's eyes met his.

"You're being awful tough on me, Mr. Black, don't you think?" She said.

"You've probably broken her nose, of course I have to be tough on you." He replied, as if it were obvious.

A smile stretched across Salome's lips at the memory. She didn't regret it, she hoped she had injured Brooke. Suddenly, she realized there was no way out of this one. She couldn't convince her teacher not to get her in trouble because Brooke's bloody nose was proof of what she had done. Either way, she'd be facing the dean of discipline.

Salome shrugged and began walking to the principal's office. "Well come on then teacher, lets take me to the principal's office. I've been a very bad girl."

* * *

"Is Freddie here?" A voice rang across the counter of the bar.

A boy with short black hair held up a half empty bottle in acknowledgment.

He took another swig of the bottle of liquor and got that satisfying burning sensation in his mouth. Burning. It was good, it reminded him that he wasn't too far gone yet.

"What is it?" Freddie slurred.

"Your mother is on the other line." The man replied. "Like usual."

Freddie sighed and got up from the stool. He hated talking to his mother. Ever since the woman found out about his... orientation, she was so ignorant to him. Instead of going home at night, he usually just spent his time in the bar of the club, drowning in alcohol until the early hours of the morning.

Freddie picked up to phone. "What." He said, emotionless. His mother didn't deserve to see any emotion from him.

"And what do you think your doing? I told you to be home at seven for dinner. It's now midnight and you're still at that stupid bar drinking your life away, wallowing in-" his mother shouted at him through the phone.

Freddie cut her off. "I'm not coming home until I want to. I've told you that. Goodbye."

He could hear his mother shouting on the other line but he didn't care. He hated the woman, so closed minded and rude. He didn't want to speak to her any more than he had to.

With that, he ended the call and handed the phone back to the bartender, returning to his bottle.

Freddie had been drinking ever since his father died. He never liked that guy either, but in his mind, it gave him an excuse to explore the world of alcoholism. He also smoked weed and did drugs when the opportunity presented itself. He had tried a boat load of drugs. He was one of the most well known stoners at school, but people didn't seem to hold it against him since he was so nice.

Freddie looked across the room as the mug of bourbon arrived. He saw men, women in skimpy dresses, some teenagers, but one boy in particular caught his eye. Mitch, he knew him as, was a boy from school. He wondered, through sips of bourbon and club soda, what he was doing in a place like this.

It was somewhat cute, the way rosy cheeks stretched across his pale skin, or the way his blue eyes were wide with certain fear of never being in a club before. But that, perhaps, was what drew Freddie towards him. Mitch was a classmate of his from Art, so once his eyes found Freddie's through the flashing lights, Mitch couldn't help but walk over.

"Freddie, I didn't expect to see you here." Mitch smiled.

"Well, I'm usually here." Freddie shrugged. "I take it you don't come here often."

Mitch shook his head. "No, first time." He said as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. "I just needed to get out, ya know?"

Freddie did know. Perhaps his parents were as condescending as his mother was. It was unlikely, since Mitch was usually such an upbeat guy.

"Are you here with anyone?" Freddie asked.

Mitch shook his head.

"Neither am I." Freddie nodded as he took a gulp of bourbon. "Maybe we could hang out together? I mean, if you want to."

Mitch nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Freddie smiled back.

"So, what do you wanna do? Drink? Dance?" Mitch asked him suddenly.

Freddie bit his lip nervously as he glanced towards the throng of grating bodies on the dance floor. "Let's drink." He decided. Mitch laughed.

Freddie leaned over the counter. "Can we get some shots?" He asked the bartender.

The bartender glanced from Freddie to Mitch before shooting them a thumbs up. "I gotcha." He smiled.

The drinks arrived and Mitch eyed them with a raw sort of hunger. The kind that made Freddie's heart rush and ache all at the same time. Mitch was attractive, he did admit to himself. And he was here, taking shots with Freddie. He wanted more than anything for it to lead to something bigger.

"So why do you drink?" Mitch asked as he knocked a shot back.

Freddie flinched at the question. How was he was he answer that?

"What? I- uh... It's a long story." He finally said.

Mitch leaned in the table and raised an eyebrow. "I'll listen." He said.

The tension melted away as a ghost of smile crossed Freddie's face. Oh, he liked Mitch. He couldn't deny it to himself if he wanted to.

"My dad's dead, my mom's a bitch, and I'm gay." Freddie stated simply.

Mitch nodded. "Really? I am too."

"You're what?" Freddie asked as he knocked down a shot.

"Gay."

Freddie raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I never would've guessed that." He laughed.

"Yeah, that's what most people say." Mitch nodded. "So what was it like coming our to your mom? My parents were okay with it." Mitch asked him.

Freddie winced. "As I said, my mom is a bitch."

Mitch laughed and Freddie smiled too. Mitch looked really good when he laughed.

Mitch and Freddie spent hours talking. Freddie told him about his mother and his alcoholism and Mitch told him about his brother's death and how he stashed bottles under his bed to rid him if the memory. They spoke of school, the future, the reapings tomorrow, everything.

So it happened. That's what he told himself. It just happened. It felt right. Freddie didn't regret it. He would contend himself with the way Mitch smelled like sandalwood and the rush that went through his body when Mitch's blue eyes met his grey ones. That's what he wanted. He wanted Mitch, and he got him.

It was now six in the morning and Freddie's eyes ached with tiredness as they left the club. It was worth it.

"Do you wanna smoke?" Mitch asked as he kicked a pebble down the street. They were past the point of idle conversation by now.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Freddie replied without hesitation. The morning air was chilly and cold, but Freddie was dressed in a light jacket to shield him from the weather. It would warm up as the sun rose.

The boys say on a curb and rolled a blunt, and Freddie watched as Mitch leaned his head back, before he let the smoke part from his lips. Mitch watched as Freddie eyebrows furrowed as he took a drag.

Suddenly Mitch was looking right at him, eyes serious. Freddie was high as a kite, but he could still note the look of desperation in Mitch's eyes.

"Freddie?" Mitch asked.

"Mm?" Freddie replied, looking over at him.

"Will you be my boyfriend?" He asked, eyes wide and hopeful.

Freddie smiled.

* * *

Salome got suspended. It seemed like a decent punishment. She had broken Brooke's nose, but that was okay, since she got what was coming for her. Salome hadn't heard from Mr. Black since yesterday in the principle's office when he ratted her out for attacking Brooke.

She didn't mind suspension, it made her feel kind of bad ass actually. She regretted nothing. Her mother was absolutely pissed though and grounded her for a week. She had spent the morning in her room, straightening her long, blonde hair and looking in the mirror. Her own exotic amber eyes looked back her, almost seductively, complimented by her lightly tanned skin. Salome couldn't help but smile. She knew she looked good.

Walking to the reaping, she made sure to ignore Brooke and her friends even though she almost burst out laughing when she saw Brooke with a large white bandage on her nose, whining to her mother. She had done that. Salome shook out her long hair and stood a bit taller as she walked.

Standing in the sixteen year old's section, Salome looked ahead. The metal stage was completed with white draped cloths, tied together with blue flowers. The flowers contrasted greatly with the metallic grey stage. District Five was nearly all steel buildings and power plants. It was refreshing to see something that wasn't colored silver.

Speaking of colorful, the bright orange escort, Osiris, was hard to miss as he danced around the stage, chatting with the mayor and old victors. District Five had two past victors. The most recent one was a guy in his early twenties with deep brown hair and green eyes. Salome didn't remember his name since she didn't care about the stupid games, but he was good looking.

There was a tap of static on the microphone and Osiris showed the crowd his large smile of white teeth.

"Hellooooo District Five!" Osiris sang into the microphone as he twirled around in a circle. Salome tried not to laugh at him.

"Another year of the Hunger Games has arrived and I'm ready for another victor!" He sang in glee. "Are you all ready?"

He was met with silence.

"Oh, um, alright." Osiris fumbled. "Let's not waste any more time then. It's time for business."

Osiris skipped over to the girl's bowl and drew a single slip off of the top of the pile.

He unfolded it carefully and smiled widely. "And the female tribute is..." He drawled. "Salome Bucks!"

Salome squinted. What? What did he just say?

"Salome Bucks?" His voice rang out again.

It really was her, she realized as she cursed under her breath.

Suddenly a plan came to mind. Salome elbowed her way past the other girls and walked calmly into the aisle and towards the stage. When she was near an opening, she bolted for it. She was gonna escape. Screw these stupid Hunger Games.

She was gonna make it, she was gonna make it, she was g-

Suddenly, a burly arm stopped her in her tracks and yanked her backwards._ Damn it!_ Two peacekeepers grabbed her by the shoulders and moved her back by the aisle, but she wasn't giving up that easily.

With a stronger right hand, she closed her fist and swung it at the peacekeeper's jaw. He stumbled backwards for a second and Salome tried to run, but the other peacekeeper tightened his grip on her. Salome kicked wildly as they dragged her up to the stage and placed her next to Osiris. The orange escort frowned at the girl, confusion marked in his brown eyes.

"It's nice to meet you Salome." Osiris said.

Salome just frowned at him angrily.

"Well, uh, time for the boys?" Osiris declared, confused as to why this girl would resist getting to go to the capitol.

He skipped over to the boy's bowl and plunged his hand into the center before pulling out a single white paper slip. "Ah-ha!" He cried as he danced back to the microphone.

"The male tribute for this years Hunger Games is Freddie St. Clair!"

Freddie St. Clair. The name was familiar to Salome. It clicked into place when a tall boy with short black hair and wide grey eyes stumbled out of the seventeen year old's section. She knew Freddie, everyone did. He was one of the stoners at school. He was chill, but he hardly ever showed up because he was usually too high to make it. Salome heard a tearful hiccup and turned to see the boy next to Freddie. Mitch, she believed his name was, had silent tears rolling down his cheeks. She wondered why.

It was easy to tell that Freddie was on some sort of drugs as he staggered towards the stage. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot and he looked like he was trying to wake up from a dream.

Freddie completely passed the steps and slammed face first right into the base of the stage. He stumbled backwards and fell onto his back. The crowd gasped. Some laughed. It was so like Freddie to do that if he was ever to be reaped. Salome on the other hand had other plans in mind.

As the same two peacekeepers picked up Freddie off the ground, Salome ran for it again. She was almost off the stage when a peacekeeper grabbed her again and yanked her back up the steps.

Osiris sighed to himself as the peacekeepers helped Freddie to the stage and dragged Salome up next to him. This years tributes were wild. One was a pothead and the other was an escape artist. At least they were interesting though. Nothing bored Osiris more than a pair of plain tributes.

"Well District Five, these are your tributes- Salome Bucks and Freddie St. Clair!" He declared as he threw his hands in the air and spun towards the two.

"You can shake hands, tributes." Osiris smiled at them.

Salome looked at Freddie, and then back at Mitch, who's face was covered by his hands, crying. She wondered if they were friends or something. She also scanned the crowd until she found Mr. Black in the adults section. She wondered if he even cared. She hoped he did, because when she came back, he'd be all hers again- and this time, their relationship wouldn't have to be hidden. That lit a fire in her heart right then and there. She _would _win. She just had to.

But that meant this boy would have to die. Looking at Freddie, it was easy to see how naive he was. She knew she couldn't kill him in cold blood. She didn't know of she had it in her to kill at all.

* * *

**A/N: So I know this chapter is significantly longer than the others, but I'm absolutely crazy about these two, so there was a lot of writing I wanted to do for them. Don't get me wrong, I love the others too, but I wanted to really get into these two's backstories. I hope you liked this chapter! District Six is up next. Til then :)**


	7. District Six Reaping

Wisteria sat on her front porch, picking at a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. She didn't want to eat, she never wanted to eat on reaping day. This was her first year of eligibility and it made her feel sick. Even when she wasn't eligible, she would still get nervous for her older brother. Last year was his final year and he made it out alive, it was such a relief. She still had her two younger brothers to worry about though, but they still had a while before they were eligible.

"Hey Wisteria." Wisteria looked up to see one of her classmates, Archie, smiling up at her.

"Hey Archie, how are you doing?" Wisteria sighed.

"I'm alright, kind of nervous, you know. It's our first reaping." He shrugged.

Wisteria nodded. She could count every one of his ribs through his shirt. She knew Archie was from one of the poorer families in District Six and she usually gave him her lunch at school. Wisteria's family owned a bakery in the suburbs of the district, so Wisteria never had to go without food.

Wisteria frowned as she looked at Archie. "Archie, have you eaten today?" She asked.

He shook his head, looking down, embarrassed.

"Here, take the bread." She said as she handed him the fresh, warm loaf.

He looked back up and his eyes lit up as he took it from her. "Thanks Wisteria. You have a heart of gold." He smiled.

She smiled back and nodded. Archie thanked her again as he turned and walked back to his house.

* * *

"Hey." Ike whispered to the boy next to him as he set down the wrench. The boy, Vince, looked up with raised eyebrows.

"Wanna play a prank on the boss?" He asked with his usual mischievous smirk. Vince nodded, grinning.

"Ok so here's what we're gonna do..." Ike began.

Ike was famous for being a goofball, in both school and the auto shop. He always knew how to put a smile on people's faces, usually at the expense of authority. Ike remembered when he was younger, there was no one that cared about making him smile, so he wanted to be that comic relief for other people.

When the boss walked into the auto shop's garage, Ike sighed dramatically. "Boss, something's wrong with this car, will you check it out?" He asked.

The boss grunted, meaning yes. He walked over and leaned over the motor and saw that everything was just fine. "Well... Ike, I don't see anything wrong... I don't, yeah, everything looks fine."

Ike squinted. "Look a little closer at the motor." He instructed.

The boss grunted again and leaned in closer, trying to find the problem. Suddenly a squirting noise sufficed and when the boss leaned back up, his face was covered in motor oil. Vince and Ike began to howl in laughter as the rest of the boys in the shop looked up in shock.

Boss sloppily wiped the motor oil of his face and nodded. "That, I must admit, was a good one." He laughed. Ike and Vince laughed even harder.

"Need any help cleaning off?" Ike asked, red in the face.

"Nah." Boss shook his head. "Get out of here, go, the reaping's gonna start soon."

Ike and Vince laughed as they headed out out of the auto shop's garage.

"That's coming out of your paycheck, boys!" Boss yelled as they ran away.

* * *

Wisteria's face was stoic as she walked towards the twelve year old's section. She had never been in these pens before, this was all so new. She glanced back at her family in the adult's section, yearning to stand next to them once again. Her older brother shot her a thumbs up and smiled encouragingly. Wisteria tried to return the smile, but even her face was shaking.

"Ah, quaint little District Six." The escort sighed into the microphone.

Wisteria turned around to see the escort was already standing on the stage. Her name was Angelica and this year she was slicked in whites and baby yellows. Her hairstyle had white peonies and roses incorporated into it and her makeup was light and pastel colored. She did look like an angel

"It's a pleasure to be back for another year." Angelica smiled. "Let's get to the reapings, shall we?"

The escort walked over to the girl's bowl and pulled out a single slip out of the very bottom. Wisteria already felt bad for whoever it was.

Angelica walked calmly back to the microphone and unfolded the small piece of paper.

"Wisteria Cade!"

Oh. It was her.

Her insides fell. How could it be her? She only had one slip in there. ONE. The odds were in her favor, how could this have happened? Thoughts were bouncing around her head at hyper speed. She couldn't grasp anything as she began to walk towards the stage.

* * *

Ike frowned. It took all his self control to contain his anger as he watched that little girl walk to the stage. He hated it when little kids got reaped. They never stood a chance.

Ike looked at Wisteria with sympathy. Poor girl. She was so young and tiny. Her white-blonde hair was done in a long braid that fell down her back and her light brown eyes were wide and afraid. He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit.

"Onto the boys." Angelica clapped. She waltzed over to the boys bowl and plucked a slip off of the top.

"Ike Ladage!"

His lips parted in shock as he stared up at the angelic escort on the stage. He had never considered himself someone who would get reaped. Never. Ike never even thought about the reapings deeply enough to picture himself get picked.

People noticed him a lot quicker than they noticed Wisteria. He was much more well known around school and the district. The crowd parted for him and several boys patted him on the back as he walked towards the stage.

As he scaled the steps, he noticed that Wisteria looked even younger up close. She wasn't even five feet tall. Something twanged painfully in his heart as he realized that she would need to die if he wanted to come home. Looking into her amber colored eyes, he knew he wouldn't be able to kill her.

* * *

**A/N: Hi guys. So my face is starting to un-swell from my wisdom teeth surgery. Is that a word? Un-swell? Whatever, either way that's good because now i can actually leave my house. Anyways, these two are some cool characters and i hoped you liked this chapter! Up next is District Seven!**


	8. District Seven Reaping

"Don't worry, Ash, I've got it." Aspen smiled as he tried to pull the fallen tree out of the way.

His little limbs burned from the effort as he gripped the bark, trying to move the trunk. He scrunched up his face as he tried to find some more power. It was futile. Aspen was simply just too young and small to be working in the family lumber company yet.

"Aspen, why don't you go get us some water instead." His older cousin, Ash, suggested.

Aspen's eyes lit up at the easier suggestion. "Okay!" He smiled.

With that, Aspen took off, leaving the older boys to their work.

Aspen's uncle owned District Seven's largest and most successful lumber company. There were at least three hundred men and one hundred teenage boys employed there. Aspen was only allowed in the lumber yard because he was family. He would bring the boys water and lunch or fetch tools for them. When he was older and had gained some muscle mass, he would be able to do the real heavy duty work just like they did.

Aspen dashed through the forest where they were cutting down the heavy oaks and maples. He loved to run, it made him feel like he was about to take off flying. Aspen was a small boy with a small frame. It always surprised people when his uncle told them that Aspen was already twelve. He looked younger. If you were to stand in the forest where the work was going on, you'd frequently find Aspen running back and forth, doing some busy work to keep him out of the way.

He ran right to the main building, in a clearing, and swung open the door. "Water! I need water!" He cried out breathlessly to whoever would listen.

A woman at the front desk laughed at his wild eyes and disheveled strawberry blonde hair. "Oh aren't you just precious, Aspen!" She smiled. She pointed to the back room. "The water jugs are back there."

Aspen grinned back. "Thank you, m'aam." He said sweetly as he ran to the back room's door.

The back room was more for storage. It was a drafty dimly lit room where they stacked the wood that was ready for carving and glazing. On the right, next to the door, were several refrigerators which stored the lunches and several big jugs of cold water. Aspen yanked one out of the front and heaved it into a wheelbarrow next to the steps.

He pushed open the back door again and emerged with his red wheelbarrow and the jug of water that Ash had requested.

"Thank you again m'aam." Aspen nodded as he dashed out the front door and back into the forest.

Ash was going to be so happy that he'd brought them all water! He couldn't wait to see them again.

* * *

"Mom, will you tell me another story?" Petunia asked.

Her mother smiled. "Of course, sweetheart." She said kindly.

To Mrs. Barker, fueling her daughter's creative mind was one of the most important things to do while she was young. It was so boring to be simpleminded, she wanted little Petunia to be creative and inventive when she grew up. Who knew? Perhaps one day, she could create something that would change the nation. That's what her mother was striving for. For Petunia to have a better life than she did.

"Do you want to sit down?" Her mother asked, motioning to the seat next to her.

Petunia nodded. "Yeah sure."

Petunia plopped down next to her mother on the couch and her mother smiled. She knew Petunia's favorite story was the one about the dead tree. The basis of the story was that there was a tree that was dead on the outside. It was deemed useless by the city and when they cut it down, they find it was alive in the inside, crackling with life from the roots, only it was too late. The moral of the story was not to judge a book by it's cover because there is usually something great inside of every average seeming person.

"Once upon a time, there was a city..." Her mother began with a dramatic voice. Petunia smiled. This story got better every time.

* * *

The next morning, instead of hurrying to the lumber yard like usual, Aspen was walking to the reaping with his head hung low. This was his first year of eligibility and Aspen was really feeling the pressure. Last year there was nothing to be afraid of, but today, it was different. What if he got reaped? His name was only in there once, but there was still a chance. He felt nervous. That was how he was supposed to feel, right?

Aspen trudged to the check in and took his place in the line. Ahead of him were tall, older boys and he couldn't see what was at the table. When it was his turn though, it became clear. They were taking blood. Aspen audibly gasped and instinctively shoved his had into his pants.

"Come on boy, I don't have all day." The peacekeeper growled as she rolled her eyes at him.

"I- I don't want to." Aspen replied in a shaky voice.

The peacekeeper narrowed her eyes in irritation. "Give me your finger or I will call over security."

Aspen glanced nervously at the group of white suited peacekeepers talking by the stage. He didn't want them over there. "O-okay, just make it quick please." Aspen requested as he held out his small finger.

The peacekeeper pulled it towards herself and pricked it with a silver electrical device. It shocked Aspen, causing him to jump.

"Ow!" He gasped.

She rolled her eyes again. "I'm done, kid. Scram." The peacekeeper said, emotionless.

Aspen hurried out of the line and into the twelve year old's section, clutching the broken skin of his finger. He paid no attention to the mayor's speech. It was the same old scripted words and video that they played when Aspen stood in the adult's section with his mother and father.

"Hello, District Seven." The escort, Paprika, said into the microphone. Her brown hair was piled onto the top of her head, like a nest. She wore a forest green pixie dress and was dripping with golden jewelry.

Aspen caught himself smiling slightly, the pain in his finger forgotten for a moment. He rather liked the escort, she seemed nice. Paprika looked like she genuinely care about her tributes, rather than some of the other escorts, who were oblivious to the fact that they were walking into certain death.

Aspen didn't want to like the excitement bubbling in his stomach, but he couldn't help it. This was very exciting. It wasn't until he was standing here, waiting for the escort to draw the slip, that he felt like he was part of something important. It was a strange feeling, but it felt kind of nice.

"Let's waste no time. Gentlemen, you're first." Paprika declared.

She walked calmly to the boy's bowl and drew a slip.

Aspen leaned forward, feeling the tension rise in the twelve year old's section. Suddenly, an odd thought crossed his mind. What if it WAS him? Wouldn't that be strange? The moment he began to get excited about the reapings, would be the moment he did get reaped. He shook his head. No, that wouldn't happen. He had ONE slip in there. The chances were way to small to-

"Aspen Buckley."

Aspen's mouth dropped open. Had they read his mind? They had to, how else would they have known to reap him?

Aspen slipped through the other twelve year old's and emerged with wide green eyes. He could hear the crowd audibly sigh as he walked to the stage. It was always sad when a twelve year old got reaped. They usually never made it past the bloodbath.

As Aspen reached the stage, he could see a ghost of a frown etched on Paprika's face. Perhaps it was hard to see someone so small be reaped for her too.

"Let's get to the girl's." she piped up.

She pulled a small, white slip out of the bowl and walked back to the microphone.

"And the female tribute for the nineteenth annual Hunger Games is..." She drawled. "Petunia Barker."

Aspen scanned the eighteen year olds, hoping it was someone older, but once again, it was the twelve year old's section that parted. The crowd sighed again, more intensely this time. A few kids moved back, revealing a small Asian girl with shiny black bangs. Aspen could hear the angry whispering coming from the crowd.

Another young child! There had never been two twelve year old's reaped from the same district before. This was a shocker.

Petunia walked stiffly to the stage. Her black hair was braided into two twin pigtails. Aspen frowned along with Paprika. Nobody liked two small children being reaped. No one believed in them. No one expected them make it past the blood bath. No one.

Suddenly, a wave of inspiration hit Aspen. He'd show them. He'd make sure he and Petunia made it far in the game. He wanted to prove to everyone that just because they were small didn't mean they were automatic bloodbaths. They were gonna make it.

Aspen turned to Petunia and a large grin broke across his face. He was gonna help her.

* * *

**A/N: These two are so cute haha. I'm sad because i have to go back to school on Monday after taking a week off for my mouth to heal. Sigh. Anyways, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and i reaaally hope you like Petunia and Aspen because they're some of my faves. District Eight is next! Oh and don't forget to review!**


	9. District Eight Reaping

"Have you made up your mind, m'aam?" Rory asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"I- Hm... I like the hydrangeas, but the hibiscuses are quite beautiful too." She said as she furrowed her brow, crinkling up her doughy face.

The light smell of flowers floated through the air as Rory leaned on the wooden stand. He got customers like this woman all the time. They could never decide on what flowers they liked best, but that's what mixed flowers were for.

"I'll tell you what, m'aam. Since you can't decide on just one, what do you say I give you half the hydrangeas and half the hibiscuses for the same price as a whole set." Rory said, acting like he rarely did this.

The woman's face lit up. "Really? You'd do that?" She asked.

"Just for you." He winked.

She clapped her hands together. "I'll take it."

Rory bagged the mixture of flowers in a blue plastic bag and took the woman's money out of her outstretched hand, then handed her the bag. "Have a good day." He smiled.

"You too." She said back as she walked out the door.

Rory loved working at the family flower shop. It was small, but they got good business. The spring was especially good for selling. The flowers were bright and fragrant, at the peak of their lives. The shop wasn't very busy today, but of course of wasn't- today was reaping day.

When the woman was out the door, Rory turned around. He still had to find Serra.

Serra was Rory's older sister. She was supposed to be working this shift, but she was probably out causing trouble. Serra and Rory didn't get along. Serra was too hardheaded and Rory was too offensive. The two used to get along, but once they turned into teenagers, everything changed.

He checked in the cooler, upstairs, even downstairs. He opened the back door, ready to call out her name again when he saw her sitting on the curb. Her long, black hair was tied up into a bun and she was smoking a cigarette.

"Great, you found me." She mumbled as she turned away from him further.

Rory pressed his lips into a thin white line. "I've been working your shift." He stated coldly as he leaned against the doorframe.

She didn't reply. It was typical Serra. She didn't conversate with Rory anymore than she had to. Unless he was asking her a question, she wasn't going to respond.

"You need to stop smoking." He said as he eyed the cigarette in her hands, aggravation leaking into his voice.

"You need to shut the fuck up." She said back.

Rory frowned at her. "Don't curse at me, I didn't do anything to you."

"Go away."

"Work your shift."

"No."

"Yes."

"No." Swiftly, she rose to her feet and began walking away from the shop to avoid her brother.

"Where are you going? This is your shift!" He yelled at her retreating figure.

She raised her middle finger in response, not caring who else saw her.

* * *

Flora kneeled down and straightened out Wiley's shirt. His light blue eyes stared up at her, wide and curious.

"Flora, why are we dressing up today?" He asked.

She sighed. Wiley was only five, he wasn't educated about the games yet. He was so young, so naive, he just wouldn't understand reaping day.

"Today is special." She replied as she helped Wiley into his shirt.

Wiley's eyes widened. "Ooh." He drawled, pretending to understand.

Flora smiled. She loved her younger siblings. There were five Costello children, Flora being the oldest. She used to have an older brother, but he died in the fourteenth Hunger Games. It was hard to think about. Flora used to be very depressed about his death, but she had learned to cope with it. It had been five years now.

Flora took a step back and looked at Wiley in his dress clothes.

"You look so cute." Flora gushed, smiling at her little brother.

Wiley rocked on the balls of his feet. "You look pretty in your dress too, Flora." He said sweetly.

She ruffled his flaxen hair and he crinkled up his nose. Wiley looked like the exact opposite of Flora. He had light eyes and blonde hair while Flora had long, dark brown hair and brown eyes. It usually surprised people that they were related.

"Well, we better get going, yeah?" Flora asked Wiley.

"Yeah, I guess so." Wiley shrugged.

Flora ushered him out of her bedroom and the two headed downstairs. Looking around for her other three siblings, she realized that there were only two. Calista was sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast.

Calista was the second youngest, only nine. She swung her legs back and forth as she sat in a wooden chair, eating a bowl of cereal. The two other brothers, Julian and Andrew, were missing.

"Calista, where are the twins?" Flora asked as Wiley clung to her side.

Calista pointed to the door as she swallowed her cereal. "They went to the reaping early. They said they made a bet with some other guys about who could get there first."

Flora sighed in relief as she peeled Wiley off of her leg. The two boys were always getting into trouble and were always nowhere to be found. At least she knew where they were this time.

"So are you ready to go yet?" Flora asked her sister as she scooped the last spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Calista nodded as she hopped off of her chair. Calista had started learning about the games in school. She understood them for the most part, but the tragic part was that she still thought her older brother would be coming back one day.

"Remember that you and Wiley are gonna go wait with the adults until me and the twins pick you up. Just stand in the front and I'll find you when it's over, okay?" Flora instructed. Calista nodded with as she opened the door.

"Yeah yeah, I know." She rolled her eyes.

Wiley had began to cling to Flora again as they walked out of the house. "Flora, why isn't mommy coming?" He asked curiously.

Flora avoided Wiley's wide eyes. "Mommy is... Sick." She replied.

* * *

Rory wiped his sweaty palms on his pants as he walked to the reaping pens. This was the worst day of the year. It was just the anxiety, it made it ten times more terrifying than it should be. He knew the odds of him getting reaped were slim, with only a few slips in there, but the thought of competing in the games was enough to make him want to run and hide.

"Hey Rory." A boy waved from the check in post.

"Hey." Rory nodded at him as he passed him.

Wedging himself into the fifteen year old's section, Rory took a deep breath. _You aren't going to get picked_, he reminded himself. He closed his eyes as the mayor made his traditional speech about the history of Panem. He tried to block out the sounds of nervous whispering around him.

When the escort came on stage was when Rory peeled open his eyes. He didn't know what to think of her, but she was the only comic relief of this whole process. Her name was Delphine. This year she was covered in light lavenders and baby blues. Her hair was swirled into cotton candy pink spirals on the top of her head and her skin was dyed a pale shade of pink.

"Good morning District Eight! It's my pleasure to pick your two lucky tributes once again this year." Delphine smiled.

Rory frowned. Whoever the tributes were this year were definitely NOT lucky. He hoped it wasn't him or Serra. She was eighteen, in the last year of eligibility. Rory knew the odds weren't in her favor though, she had a few extra slips in this year for breaking the district's rules and also, every year since she was fourteen, a girl or boy had been chosen from her grade. It made him nervous for her.

The escort walked over to the girl's bowl and plucked a slip out of the bowl.

"Flora Costello."

Both relief and sadness flooded his system. Rory was relieved that it wasn't Serra, but also sad because he knew that name. Flora was in his sister's class. Apparently the curse wasn't going to be broken this year. Flora was a nice and modest girl. Freddie knew her from around school.

He craned his neck until he caught a glimpse of her dark brown hair. She was walking to the stage, looking down, trying to hide the tears leaking down her face.

The escort helped her onto the stage and smiled. "Flora- a vintage name with classic charm. I like it."

Flora nodded, not really hearing her, as more tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Time for the boys!" Delphine grinned and waltzed over to the boy's bowl.

_It won't be me, it won't be me, it won't be me_... Rory squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath. _Please don't be me_.

"Rory Rivera!"

Rory's breath came out in a shuddering gasp. Was it him?

"Rory Rivera?" The escort repeated.

It was him.

This was never supposed to happen, no no no. _How_ did this happen? He had the bare minimum amount of slips in there. How was this possible?

He felt a push on his back as a boy pushed him forward, then a pull on his arm as the peacekeepers yanked him forward. This was really happening.

Suddenly a yell pierced his ears.

"No! Don't you touch him!"

Serra.

Rory whipped his head around and saw Serra shoving girls out of the way to get to him. She jumped over the ropes on the girls side and ran into the isle to where he was.

"Get off of him!" She yelled as she tried to pry the peacekeeper's arms off of her brother. Rory could see the anger in her eyes. "Get off!"

Suddenly, another group of peacekeepers burst through the isle. A swarm of white suits invaded Rory's vision as they pulled Serra off of the man.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, kicking as they dragged her back to her section. "Let go of my brother!" Serra screamed.

The peacekeepers walked Rory to the stage as Serra screamed for him. They were truly ruthless, pulling her away from him like that. These games were ruthless. And Rory was gonna die. That was only thing he could register, he was gonna die.

* * *

**A/N: Hi guys. We are already two-thirds the way through the reapings! Can you believe it? Anyways, i have so much planned for this story, it is going to be really exciting once you get to learn more about the characters and the actual games portion is gonna be killer. I hope you liked these two. District Nine is up next!**


	10. District Nine Reaping

Cherry gulped nervously as her friend plugged the flat iron into the wall. She had never straightened her hair before. The thought of putting such an extreme amount of heat on her hair made her squirm in her chair.

"I can't believe you've never straightened your hair before, Cherry." Her friend, Tawny, said as she spritzed some sweet smelling heat protectant onto Cherry's wavy black hair. "Your hair is so pretty and thick, it's gonna look awesome when I'm done."

"Who are we meeting again?" Cherry asked, looking at Tawny in the mirror.

"Oh, just some boys from school." Tawny smiled. "Don't worry, they're really nice."

Cherry did worry though. She had never been very lucky with boys. She was too socially awkward and weird to have any kind of romantic relationship. She always talked too much and spoke at all the wrong times. She was definitely gonna mess this one up.

Cherry sighed. "I can't see this going well."

"It's gonna be fine! Just remember the tips I gave you and you'll be great. They will all want to date you." Tawny reassured her as she took a few locks of Cherry's hair and ran it through the hot straightener.

Tawny had given Cherry some specific instructions on how to get a guy. First she had to flip her hair, then she had to smile a lot, and lastly she had to use their names when talking to them. Tawny said it made boys feel like she was really interested in them.

After twenty more minutes of hair straightening, Tawny spun Cherry around to the mirror.

"Ta-da!" Tawny cried with a grin.

"Wow," Cherry drawled as she looked at the new her in the mirror. Her black hair was sleek and silky and her bangs were pin straight. She also had on red lipstick and a little bit of makeup to accentuate her brown eyes.

"I look great, thank you!" She said happily as she gave Tawny a big hug.

"You're welcome." Tawny grinned back. "Let's get going, we need to be there soon anyways." She said as she grabbed Cherry's hand.

The park the girls were headed to was just a small five minute walk away from the reaping. It was in the heart of District Nine's urban area, where all the wheat sheering factories were run. District Nine was known for grain. They harvested mostly in the fall months, but they had found ways to keep growing year round to satisfy the capitol.

After a ten minute walk to the park, Cherry could see a group of guys talking by the swing set. Her breath hitched. They were all really hot! What if she messed up? What if she tripped or something?

"Just be cool." Tawny whispered as they approached.

The first guy to notice them was a boy from school named Gabe. He had shaggy brown hair and blue eyes. Cherry saw his face light up when he saw the them approaching and a large smile broke across his face. Was he smiling at her? What was he looking at? Did she have something on her face?

"Hey Tawny!" He said excitedly. "We didn't know if you were gonna make it."

Tawny smoothed down her dress. "Of course we could make it." She said with a smirk. "How are you guys doing?"

The boys nodded. "Good, good." One of them said coolly as he leaned back on one of the supporting poles of the swings. He glanced from Tawny to Cherry, evaluating them.

Cherry couldn't take no more. She had to say something. "Why are you looking at me?" She asked the boy. She heard Tawny take a sharp intake of breath.

He raised his eyebrows at her, surprised. "Tawny, is this your friend?" He asked

"Yeah." She said.

"Yes I am her friend." Cherry said, feeling like she needed to redeem herself by talking even more.

The boy smirked.

Oh shoot! She should have just kept her mouth shut. Now she had done it. She had ruined everything.

"And what's you're name?" He asked he asked as he regained his cool composure.

"Cherry." She said.

Suddenly, the boy smiled. "Cherry." He said quietly. "Cherry, I like you. I think you're different." He said more audibly.

As if on queue, Cherry flipped her hair and smiled back awkwardly, just like Tawny had told her to.

* * *

_Duck_... _Flower_... _Sailboat_...

In the middle of a golden field of wheat on top of a hill, a boy with a messy head of blonde hair laid on his back, looking up at the sky. He was breathing slowly, looking calmly into the vast azure blue sky.

_Dog_... _Rabbit_...

Lyle spent a lot of his time watching the clouds. He liked to try and find similarities between them and real life creatures. Like right there, there was a mass of puffy white clouds that looked like a teacup. Or over there, where there was a four leafed clover. It was some of his only entertainment, as he didn't have any friends.

Actually that was untrue. He had one close friend. His dog, Charlie.

Currently, Charlie was curled up beside Lyle, taking a nap. Charlie was a tan and black German Shepherd with a glossy coat of soft fur. Charlie was Lyle's best friend apart from his father. Mr. Fitzpatrick had seen Lyle's social troubles from an early age and got him the dog when Lyle was nine years old to ensure that he'd have at least one friend. Mr. Fitzpatrick hated seeing his son hurting because he was so socially inept.

"Lyle!" A voice called from their tiny house.

Lyle flinched. He always flinched when someone called his name. He instantly relaxed though when he realized it was just his father.

"Yeah!" Lyle called back, startling Charlie, making him stir beside him.

"It's time to go, come on! Bring Charlie inside, we're gonna be late!" His father called back.

Lyle sat up, petting Charlie's long snout.

"Let's go, boy." Lyle said sweetly to his dog as he got up.

Lyle began to run towards the house and Charlie followed, tail wagging and tongue lolling.

Within ten minutes, Lyle had put Charlie in his cage and followed his father out the door and into the busy streets of District Nine. Lyle's heart immediately began to beat faster once he saw how many people were in the streets.

He slipped his hand into his father's as they walked. It calmed him, but he was still tense.

"Everything is fine, Lyle." His father said softly as they walked to the reaping pens. "They're just people."

Lyle nodded, trying to take his words to heart. They were just people, not superior to him in any way. He was not lesser than anyone. He told himself this until he was secure in the thirteen year old's section and felt his father's hand part from his own.

"I'll be in the adult's section." His father said with a kind smile. "I'll find you after, okay?"

Lyle nodded. "Alright. Love you." He said, feeling nervous.

"Love you too." His father smiled before turning and walking towards the back.

Now alone in a crowd full of people, Lyle turned around and tried to breath. _Be calm, they're just people_, he tried to reason with himself.

There was a tap of static in the microphone and Lyle looked up. His eyes were instantly drawn to the bright escort on the stage. He knew her from previous reapings. Her name was Valentina. This year she was drenched in red. She had on an oversized red tunic and a very tight pair of metallic red leggings. There were rubies dotted along her eyelids and cheeks. To top it off, her burgundy hair fell in long curls down her back and she had a layer of scarlet lipstick slicked onto her lips. She looked like a valentine's day card, matching her name.

"Hellooo beautiful children!" Valentina sang into the microphone with an adoring voice. "The time had come, once again, to pick two brave tributes to participate in this year's Hunger Games."

She cleared her throat and turned her gaze to the girls. "You know how it goes, ladies first."

With that, she waltzed over to the female's bowl and drew a small slip off of the top. She held it high in the air as she went back over to the microphone.

"Cherry Pavone!"

Lyle craned his neck until he saw her. Parting from the sixteen year old's section was a girl with pin straight black hair and watery brown eyes. Tears leaked down her face as she stepped up the stairs. Poor thing. Lyle's heart hurt for her, she was so upset.

Valentina was oblivious to her tear's though.

"What luck, Cherry!" She clapped. "Let's get to the boys now, shall we?"

Lyle's body was instantly seized with fear. The boys! This was always the worst part of the whole thing. There was always a chance it could be him.

Valentina skipped over to the boys bowl and plunged her hand deep into the heart of it. She emerged with a single white slip and walked back over to the microphone.

"Lyle Fitzpatrick!"

Lyle squinted. Did she just say his name? She had to have said his name. He couldn't have just imagined that.

"Lyle Fitzpatrick!" The escort repeated.

It was really him.

As he began to walk, Lyle felt lightheaded, as if he might faint. Could this have really happened to him? He was just thirteen, he was too young to die.

He looked up at Cherry. She was staring at him through her tears. How did this happen to him?

Questions like that left his mind as quickly as they entered it. Lyle couldn't comprehend very much right now. He couldn't take being up in front of the whole district like this.

As he reached the top of the steps, he walked over to stand by Cherry. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't. Lyle almost jumped when she held out her hand to him. He quickly remembered it was what the tributes do once they are reaped.

He timidly extended his hand and she shook it. How would he be able to kill her?

How would he be able to survive?

How would he be able to win?

* * *

**A/N: hi guys. Again, don't forget to review! Your opinions are very important to me and i DO want to hear what you think. District 10 is up next!**


	11. District Ten Reaping

Haven was out the front door before he even opened his eyes all the way. The new colt was arriving today and he wanted to be the first one to see it. He was the one that got excited about the animals on the Hanover farm. He was the only one who actually loved them.

When he got to the horse's stable, his spirits dropped. The colt hadn't arrived yet.

With a sigh, he plopped down on a bail of hay. He had been thinking about the colt all of last night and he still wasn't here, it was such a disappointment. Haven always got too excited about the new animals. Once when the chicks in the chicken coop were hatching, Haven stayed up all night with just to see them in the morning. Perhaps the colt would arrive later in the day. He'd just have to wait until after the reapings.

The horses noticed him and began to whinny for food. Haven jumped up, remembering he still had to feed them.

He pulled some a bucket of oats off of the wall and poured a serving into each horse's troff, over any last bits of night feed. Haven looked at the horse next to him and smiled. Her name was Carmel, a golden brown horse with a shiny bronze mane. She was one of the prettiest horses they owned.

"Hey Carmel," Haven smiled. "Are you enjoying your breakfast?" He asked.

The horse just continued to eat.

"It's okay, girl. I know you'd reply if you could." Haven sighed.

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps behind him, causing Haven to jump.

"What are you doing, eating with the horses?" Haven's brother asked sarcastically.

"Actually, I was checking to see if the new colt was here yet." Haven replied in a matter of fact tone of voice.

Haven's older brother's name was Christian and he was three years older. Christian was a cheeky boy and loved to pick on his younger brother. They were both opposites. Christian was actually quite popular at school, whereas Haven only had a select few friends. Haven was just to sincere to have any kind of fickle friendship.

"Anyways, mom sent me out here to get you. It's time for breakfast." Christian said as he pet one of the horses on the nose. "Unless you want to stay out here and eat hay with the horses."

Haven frowned at his brother.

"It was a joke, stupid." Christian said flatly.

"Haha, very funny." Haven mumbled.

"Whatever, let's get going." Christian said as he walked out of the barn.

"Alright." Haven sighed. He waved goodbye to his horses and followed Christian inside.

* * *

It was track season. Lorelei's last meet was tomorrow and she wanted to win every event she competed in. She was a star in the mile long run and the sprints, and she was alright at shot put and discus, though there were still a few girls that were stronger than her.

Lorelei was halfway through her usual five mile morning run, loud music pounding in her ears. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail and sweat poured into her eyes. Her heart was beating heavily and her legs burned from exertion.

Every morning she ran from her home to town and back. It was a two and a half mile run to the town square, where she would usually stop for a minute to catch her breath, then she'd turn back to go home to get ready for her day.

Today was a special day though. It was the reaping. Lorelei used to get really scared, but as time passed, she became more laid back about it. The odds of her getting reaped were slim, so she had nothing to worry about. She remembered when she was twelve, she was so afraid it would be her that she started crying in the middle of the mayor's speech. She laughed at the memory now.

Lorelei could see the town square as she stopped for a break at an outdoor cafe. This year they were really playing up the "District Ten" stereotype. There were bails of hay littering the edges of the stage and even a scarecrow was standing in the background. There were lassos used as streamers and cowboy hats pinned onto the back of the stage, adding to the whole western look. Typical capitol people. They never came out out to the district themselves, but if they were to come, they'd see that the whole place wasn't all farms and ranches, and they'd see that not all the people were cowboys.

The district was actually pretty nice. On one side of District Ten was the rural land with farms and animals, but on this side of town, there were nice little homes and shops. Everything was attractive over here and didn't reek of animals. Lorelei was sure this part of of the town was just as nice as places like District One.

Lorelei rose to her feet. She had more important things to worry about than the capitol's tacky decorating style. Turning on her heel, she began to run towards home. She had a big day ahead of her.

* * *

Haven's hands were shaking as he walked out of the train station. The reapings always scared him. He knew the odds were technically in his favor since he didn't have many slips in the bowl, but there was _always _that one little chance it could still be him.

The town square was a long walk from his house, probably over 40 miles, so he and Christian had decided to take the train instead. It cost him all of his allowance from the past week, but he knew he'd never get there if he walked. Mom and dad were going to meet them there after they tended to the animals.

As the two boys walked out of the station, Haven took a deep breath. The air over here smelled clean and fresh. It was unlike the heavy smell of animals that filled their farm, it was nice.

Ahead of him, Haven scanned the town square. It was large and vast, decorated with props that made it look like very western. There were kids everywhere, getting their fingers pricked and walking to their designated sections. A lot of them were talking with friends, while a few solemn faces passed Haven.

The two brothers got their fingers pricked and separated into their age groups, just like the rest of the kids. Haven didn't talk to anyone. He stood there quietly until there was a tap on the microphone. Everything quieted down as the escort smiled widely. His name was Aurelius and this year he had been wrapped in blues. His cerulean colored hair was slicked back meticulously and his lips were coated with navy blue lipstick.

"Good morning District Ten." Aurelius grinned. "It's a pleasure to be here once again. I'm ready to reap two very brave tributes to compete in this year's Hunger Games."

Haven brushed his brown hair out of his face. He could hear the nervous breathing of those around him, making his eyes wide and palms sweaty. It was just the anticipation that made it so hard to stand here like this. There was no way he could possibly know who would get reaped and that scared him.

As Aurelius walked towards the female's bowl, Haven turned his gaze towards the girls. He scanned them, wondering which one of them it would be. It could be that girl standing right across from him for all he knew. Or it could be one of those twelve year olds. That would be awful though, so Haven decided to dismiss the thought.

Aurelius plucked a slip from the bowl and walked back to the microphone. He unfolded it carefully before he opened his mouth.

"Lorelei Sykes."

The name was unfamiliar. Perhaps that was a good thing. Haven watched as a girl with straight blonde hair parted out of the fifteen year old's section. Her fists were clenched and her lower jaw protruded with anger. She looked tough, he gave her that. Not a single tear fell from her eyes as she walked up the stage.

Aurelius shook her hand and congratulated her before turning back to the microphone.

"Time for the boys!" Aurelius cried happily. He look satisfied enough with Lorelei.

This was the part where Haven got nervous. He couldn't stop his legs from shaking as Aurelius walked towards the boy's bowl. It could be him. It could be Christian. It could be anyone. It was so nerve wrecking, he just couldn't take it.

Aurelius found a single white slip out of the middle of the bowl and held it high in the air as he walked back to the microphone. He unfolded it just as carefully as before.

"Haven Hanover."

Haven's stomach dropped.

It wasn't Christian. It wasn't one of his friends. It was him. He was going to be a tribute in this year's Hunger Games.

Out of all the emotions he could have felt, it was anger that came to him the quickest. He was pissed off. Not only was he not going to get to go home after this, he was going to miss the new colt's birth. He had been waiting for months and he wasn't even going to be there to see it.

He stood there, seething silently, until he vaguely felt two string hands grab each of his shoulders and haul him into the isle. That was what brought him back to reality. He twisted his arms around as he yanked himself free of the peacekeepers' grip.

"I can walk by myself, thank you very much." He spat at them as he walked towards the stage and stomped up the steps.

He ignored Aurelius's congratulating hand and he went to stand by Lorelei. Haven looked at her and found that his anger was reflected back in her light blue eyes.

Good. They could be angry together.

* * *

**A/N- hi, i know it's been a while since i last updated (a whole week, yikes!) and i'm sorry about that, but i just haven't been feeling as creative as i usually do and didn't want to write a shit chapter just for the sake of getting one up, so hence the wait. I'll try to get the next chapter up within the next few days. But anyways, District Eleven is up next! And again, don't forget to review!**


	12. District Eleven Reaping

_SMACK_!

"Mom, stop it! He didn't do anything!" Lily yelled, pulling her mother's arm away.

Teddy's mother didn't respond as she drew her fist back again to hit her son. Her breath reeked of alcohol and her eyes were wildly wide.

"Stop!" Lily yelled again as her hand descended on Teddy.

Her fist hit Teddy's face hard, causing him to cry even more.

As his mother tried to stand up straight, her body rejected the movement and she slipped backwards, giving Teddy a window for escape. He scrambled out the front door as his mother cursed at him to come back.

Teddy ran into the forest and climbed up a tree. the bark dug into his skin, but he didn't care. He climbed until he was sitting on one of the highest branches.

It was there that he let the tears flow freely. Why had he been cursed with such a terrible mother? He would never know. Everything was so messed up, he just didn't know what to do anymore. He knew he couldn't hide in this tree all day. At some point he'd have to go back home and face his mother, but the thought made his whole body shake with fear.

In his mind, he felt her punches seven times over. Each time he thought of the impact, it deepened the crack in his heart. Perhaps it was his fault that his mother started drinking. After all, Teddy was the reason his twin had died. His brother was a stillborn, and Teddy was the one that survived. Sometimes he wished they both were born dead.

"Teddy?" A voice called in the distance.

Teddy's whole body lurched. Had his mother came to hunt him down? No, the voice was softer, more worried. It belonged to his older sister.

"Lily?" He answered weakly.

The sound of running feet grew louder as she approached.

"Teddy, where are you?" Lily called.

"Up here." Teddy answered from the tree.

Lily whipped her head around and sighed in relief as her eyes found her brother's. Through the break in the branches, Teddy saw her brown eyes peering at him through the trees.

"Teddy, will you come down?" She sighed. "We don't have to go back home right now, we can go anywhere we want, I promise."

More tears dripped from his eyes, falling like raindrops onto the damp earth. "We shouldn't have to live like this, Lily." He mumbled.

"I know, Teddy." Lily replied.

"Maybe it is all my fault. Maybe I deserved that beating." Teddy continued. "It's my fault Timmy was a stillborn. That's why mom hates me."

Lily gasped. "Teddy, don't you ever think that. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. Please don't ever say that again."

"Okay." Teddy mumbled, wanting to follow his sister's rules.

"Ted, will you please come down?" Lily pleaded. "The reaping is soon."

His stomach suddenly dropped. He had completely forgotten. This was his first reaping and this was how he got to prepare for it- getting beaten and hiding in a tree. It was all just so awful.

"Lily, I forgot all about it." Teddy mumbled as tears leaked down his face.

"It's okay, I forgot too. Just please climb down and I swear we won't go home right now." Lily tried to reason with him.

"Alright, just don't take me back home." Teddy sighed, realizing he had to come down at some point. Teddy moved from his crook, crawling down from the tree. He navigated the branches easily, landing on the ground lightly.

Lily looked at him sympathetically and took his hand.

"Come on, we can go anywhere you want for breakfast." She said, trying to smile as they began to walk.

"It doesn't matter where we go." Teddy said. "You can chose if you want."

Lily sighed. "Does waffles sound good to you?" She asked.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Teddy's tear streaked face.

* * *

The harvesters never stopped working in District Eleven. Once you got the job, you were working from sun up until sun down with only one hour long break. Talulah didn't mind the work though. Sure, it was exhausting, but at least she was making some money. Her job was to harvest the fruits with the other young kids in the west end.

Right now, the sun was just peaking over the tree tops and she was one of the only kids in the orchard. She was given ten buckets, all to be filled to the brim with strawberries before she was allowed to leave for the reaping. She had nine of them filled.

As she plucked more strawberries, she hummed a tune to herself. The reapings were never scary for her. District Eleven was by far the largest district in Panem. There were so many children eligible that her chances of getting reaped were almost microscopic.

Talulah filled up the last of the buckets and hauled them into the wheelbarrow she was given. Her arms were sore from the long hours she worked, but she kept going strong. Talulah was a good employee. She showed up to work every day and worked hard without complaint. Sometimes, she goofed off with the other kids, but only after her work was done.

Talulah pulled the wheelbarrow to a little shack at the edge of the fields. That was where the head overseer resided. This guy was the man to impress because he the one who handed out the money. Talulah was on the man's good side, but she knew that one wrong move could ruin her career.

"Hi sir, I collected all ten buckets of the strawberries, just like you ordered." Talulah said as she nodded towards the wheelbarrow.

The man looked up from his newspaper, glasses falling down the bridge of his nose.

He grunted as he stood up, not saying a word. Talulah's heart fluttered into the air as he reached for the precious wooden box on the shelf. That was where he kept the coins. That was what her hard work earned. Money.

He opened up the box and scooped up ten silver coins, one for each bucket she filled. He dropped them into Talulah's outstretched hand and she smiled.

"Thank you sir, have a nice day." She said as she walked out the door.

Talulah felt the smile stretch across her face as she stepped back out into the open. Ten coins. That was enough to buy her family three meals for two entire days. Talulah shoved the money into the pockets of her pants as she walked. She was headed towards the town square. The reaping was about to begin.

After ten minutes, she had finally arrived. The crowd was thick, it was hard to see anything but the heads of people. She couldn't even see the stage. Talulah swept her golden bronze hair out of her eyes as she walked to the registration table. As she got her finger pricked and stamped onto a paper, she looked ahead of her. The stage was slightly visible now. It was a large metal platform with several people lining it.

The smell of sweaty humans penetrated the air as she walked towards the fourteen year old's section. As she secured herself into her wedge in the pens, there was the sound of someone clearing their voice loudly into the microphone on the stage.

Talulah looked up and saw a colorful creature standing on the stage, swaying in their high heels.

"What a beautiful day to be in District Eleven!" The escort gushed. "My name is Sunshine and I will be your escort for another year."

Talulah looked at Sunshine curiously. She was bathed in light, warm colors that made her look like an actual sunshine. Her golden hair was crimped heavily and her face was dusted in bronze glitter. Her eyes were dotted with orange and red sequins and she wore a long, flowing light yellow dress.

"Now as tradition, I am here to reap to very lucky contestants to fight in this year's Hunger Games." Sunshine smiled. "Ladies, you're first."

Talulah watched her calmly as she waltzed over to the female's bowl. She was feeling just fine about her odds. She had taken out no tesserae and she was only fourteen years old. The tribute this year would probably be someone who had to take out a lot of tesserae or was a delinquent.

Sunshine plunged her gold painted fingers into the middle of the bowl and pulled out a slip. Talulah felt bad for whoever it was, but at least it wouldn't be her. As Sunshine walked back to the microphone and unfolded the slip, Talulah felt the nervous energy around her increasing.

"Talulah Cooper!"

Her breath hitched. Did she just say Talulah?

"Talulah Cooper, where are you?"

It was really her. Talulah's insides fell. How could this have happened? She barely had any slips in the bowl!

Deciding not to stall any longer, Talulah stiffly walked through the gasping crowd. She didn't have it in her to look anyone in the eye as she passed them. As she made it to the stage, a single tears fell down her cheek. This was truly awful. She had a whole life ahead of her, and now it was about to be cut short.

As she stepped up the last stair, she saw Sunshine jumping on the balls of her feet and clapping at hyper speed. Talulah wondered what was wrong with her. Maybe she was satisfied.

"Oh you are just gorgeous!" Sunshine gushed as she took a lock of Talulah's hair into her hands. "Your tan skin and amber eyes go perfectly with that golden hair."

So that was what she was so excited about. "I see you're a fashion expert." Talulah mumbled.

Sunshine grinned. "I like to think so, yes."

Talulah nodded, letting her eyes fall to the ground. She didn't care about fashion. She didn't care about Sunshine. She just wanted to go back to her normal life.

"Well, time for the boys!" Sunshine clapped. She danced over to the male's bowl and picked a slip right off of the top. Sunshine walked back to the microphone and opened it up.

"Teddy Nelson!"

The name was unfamiliar to Talulah. It wasn't surprising since District Eleven was so big, but she felt bad for whoever Teddy was.

The twelve year old's section parted, revealing a small boy with light brown skin and short clipped black hair. So that was Teddy. He stood there frozen, until a group of four peacekeepers pulled him out crowd. His brown eyes were wide and fearful as they walked him towards the stage.

When he walked up the steps, it was there that Talulah noticed all of the yellowing bruises on his arms and neck. There was also one purple splotch under his right eye. Talulah's heart fell. This boy was probably abused.

"Hello Teddy, you're a very lucky boy!" Sunshine said, oblivious to his bruises.

Teddy just nodded, hanging his head down low.

Talulah's heart went out to the boy. He had it even worse than she did and he was only twelve years old. He might not even make it past the bloodbath. The thought hurt her heart. This boy would have to die if she wanted to win.

Twenty-three people would have to die if she wanted to win

* * *

**A/N: Hi guys, I'm back! I'm happy with the way this chapter turned out and i hope you are too. I have two whole reviews! Yay! I know there a lot of you lurking on this story and i want you guys to know that it's okay to drop by a review if you want. Actually, I'm encouraging it because i really do want to know what you guys think about the tributes or if you have any suggestions or anything. Again, thanks for reading and District Twelve is up next!**


	13. District Twelve Reaping

It was a rainy day in District Twelve. In a muddy field, a group of boys ran around, throwing a brown football to each other. They were covered in mud and drops of rain poured down on their heads, but they didn't care. Nothing would stop them from enjoying their game. It was the only thing that could calm their nerves before the reaping.

The tallest boy, Sully, had the ball in his hand and was running towards the far end of the field in a dead sprint. He shoved his shaggy black hair out of his eyes as he ran and looked behind him. That was his mistake though. When he glanced over his shoulder, another boy in his blind side slammed into him and knocked him over, into the mud.

Sully cursed loudly, wiping the mud out of his face. "What the hell, man!" He yelled at his friend. "I was almost across the line."

His friend shrugged. "Sorry dude, it's the way the game goes." He said with a smirk.

Sully frowned. He had always been a sore loser. He slapped the ball out of his friend's hand and walked to the center of the field.

"New game!" He yelled to the boys.

All ten of them jogged over to their positions and one boy with wet blonde hair blew a whistle.

"Ready?" He called.

Realizing that his shirt was heavy with mud, Sully pulled it over his head and threw behind him. He smirked to himself as he steadied his feet in the muddy ground and the rain poured down on his bare back. He'd get that football across the finish line this time. He was sure of it.

Sully crouched down.

"Go!"

* * *

Reapings were nerve wrecking, that was the only way to put it. With her name in the bowl thrity-something times, Adelaide's odds of getting reaped were pretty high. Ever since she was eligible, there hadn't been a single year that she didn't take out tesserae.

Living in District Twelve was hard. Living in poverty was even harder. Ever since she was little, there had never been enough to eat. It was difficult, but Adelaide had survived.

Currently, Adelaide was running to the reaping with her best friend, May. Mud splashed their legs as their feet pounded against the road. They were about to be late.

"May! May, wait up!" Adelaide called to her friend.

"Hurry up, we're gonna be late!" May called back, quickening her pace.

Adelaide huffed and took gasping breaths of air as she ran. They had been running for nearly five minutes and she was already out of breath.

They were quickly approaching the town square when Adelaide looked up. There were loads of children squeezed into the reaping pens. On the metal stage sat the escort and the mayor. There were no past victors in District Twelve, they had never been that lucky in the games.

As the two girls made it to the check in line, Adelaide stopped running.

"May, you can stop running now, we're here!" Adelaide said through deep breaths of air.

May skidded to a halt and turned around to face her friend, red in the face.

"Phew, I thought we'd never make it." May sighed as she wiped the sweat of of her forehead.

Adelaide smiled. "Come on." She said as she nodded towards the registration table.

The two girls got their fingers pricked and went to stand in their sections. They had to push past the twelve and thirteen year olds to wedge themselves into the already packed fourteen year olds section. As Adelaide made herself comfortable, there was a high pitched sound in the microphone, causing her to flinch.

She looked up to see the escort, Marigold, standing in front of the microphone, smiling at the crowd. Marigold was one of the ditzier escorts in Adelaide's opinion. She was a bit too excited about the games and a little too uneducated about their consequences. This year, she was bathed in all yellow. Her banana blonde hair was swirled into spirals on the top of her head and everything from her dress to her lipstick was a shade of yellow.

"Good afternoon, District Twelve." Marigold smiled. "I couldn't be more excited to reap one lucky male and one lucky female to compete in this year's annual Hunger Games."

Adelaide could feel May smiling next to her, causing her to break out into a smile herself. The two girls often mocked Marigold when they were bored.

"Let's start with the ladies!" Marigold declared happily.

She walked to the girl's bowl and drew a slip off of the very top. She crossed the gap back to the microphone and unfolded it.

"Adelaide Quick!"

Her smile fell. That was her.

Horrified, she slowly turned her head to May, meeting her gaze. Her utter terror was reflected back in May's light blue eyes. This was it. This was how she was going to die.

"Addy..." May whispered, her voice quivering.

"No," she cut her off, shaking her head. "It's fine. I'm fine."

Adelaide stepped out of the fourteen year old's section with shaking legs, leaving an emotional May behind. As she walked to the stage, her thoughts were flying around her head so quick, she couldn't grasp one. Never in a million years did she think it would be her walking down this isle. She had never imagined herself getting reaped. Adelaide didn't know what to think right now.

The escort helped her onto the stage and smiled. "Ah, you must be Adelaide. My, you are just precious!" She clapped.

Adelaide nodded, feeling numb.

Moving on, the escort turned back towards the crowd. "Well, time for the boys!" She declared.

Marigold walked to the male's bowl and plunged her yellow hands into the very bottom of the bowl. She emerged with one slip, held high in the air. She unfolded it in front of the microphone and cleared her voice.

"Sullivan McCormick!"

It was all quiet for a moment before a tall, shirtless boy with muddy black hair stepped out of group of seam kids, looking extremely confused.

Apparently he was moving too slow because two burly peacekeepers grabbed him from the shoulders and started dragging him towards the stage. Sully squirmed and kicked the peacekeepers, trying to free himself.

"What in the- get off me!" He yelled angrily, "Get off, you capitol scum!"

But the peacekeepers stayed put. Sully hurled more insults at them, at the escort, even at the slip of paper. This was absolutely ridiculous.

Adelaide sighed. Her district partner was a little spitfire.

It just might wind up getting him killed.

* * *

**A/N: And the reapings are done! I'm really happy with all 24 of these guys and i have a few questions for you to answer via reviews- **

**1\. Who are your favorite characters so far? **

**2\. Who are you most interested in learning more about?**

**3\. Which was your favorite reaping?**

**Up next are the goodbyes, then we get into all the pre-game/capitol fun. Til then!**


	14. Goodbyes

**District One**

Velvet was given a spacious, well lit room to say her goodbyes in. Of course these wouldn't be goodbyes, just see-you-laters. She planned on coming home victorious, bathed in riches. She paced the room excitedly, waiting for her visitors.

Suddenly the door clicked open and in came Poppy, tears leaking down her face.

"Poppy, what's wrong?" Velvet gasped.

Poppy shook her head, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "This is all just hitting me right now. Velvet, what if you die?" She asked, eyes desperate.

Velvet breathed deeply and smiled at her friend. "Poppy, I'm not going to die. I've trained for this, remember?" She reassured her.

"Yeah but what if-" Poppy began.

"I'll be coming home, I promise." Velvet interrupted her.

Poppy nodded, eyes downcast, realizing there was no getting through to her friend. "Just be careful."

"I will." Velvet replied, opening up her arms to hug her friend.

Poppy embraced Velvet one last time. "I love you." Poppy said as she pulled away.

Velvet smiled sadly. "I love you too."

As Poppy left, she waved goodbye for the final time and Velvet waved back, smiling. She couldn't understand why Poppy didn't believe in her. Everyone believed in her. Why did her friend have a sudden change of heart?

She was snapped out of her thoughts as the door opened again, revealing her father.

"That's my little girl." He grinned, opening up his arms. Velvet grinned back, happily accepting his hug.

"Daddy, do you think I'll win?" Velvet asked.

The man knitted his eyebrows, confusion marked in his brown eyes. "Well, of course I do. What, are you questioning your decision?"

Velvet's eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. "Oh no, no, no. I just wanted to know what you thought." She replied. "I just wanted to know you believed in me." She said more softly.

"Of course I do, princess. The whole district does. After all, you were the chosen one, right?" He reassured his daughter.

Velvet half smiled. "I guess."

A peacekeeper poked his head into the door to let them know their time was almost up. Velvet hugged her father one more time as he left and waved farewell. When the door closed, Velvet was finally alone, finally able to daydream about swimming in the money she would soon have.

* * *

"Hi Lucius." Bentley's voice said softly as he opened the door.

Kramer looked up just slightly to see his brother's pale face. Beside him was their mother, eyes watery and red from crying. Other than the obvious will to stay alive, Bentley was the reason he was going to fight to win this thing. He couldn't help but think that this was the real reason he was going to try so hard. He wanted more than anything to come back home for his brother's sake.

"Hi Bentley." Kramer sighed. "Hi mom."

His mother nodded, wiping away her tears with a napkin. "That boy should have volunteered for you, Lucius. You shouldn't be here right now."

Kramer shrugged. "I know, but I am. Don't worry about it mom. I'm going to try to win." He tried to reassure her.

Kramer was a softer, more gentle person around his mother and brother. They were the only ones who stuck beside him when he went on his downward spiral and they were the only people who truly accepted and loved him. Other people were too afraid to get to know him. He was much colder around everyone else.

"You can win, I know you can." Bentley said as he wrapped his older brother in a hug. "You've killed before and you can do it again."

His mother gasped. "Bentley, you know we don't speak of that!"

Kramer shook his head and let out a laugh. "No, it's fine. I don't really mind him talking about it anymore."

More tears leaked down his mother's face.

"Really, don't worry you guys. I'm going to try hard. I promise, I'll try to win for you." Kramer said.

Suddenly, the door opened and a peacekeeper stood by the doorframe. "Your time is up." He said, emotionless.

The three hugged one last time, Kramer cherishing every last second with his family. As they broke apart and Bentley and their mother walked towards the door, Kramer waved goodbye.

He said he was going to try to win for them and he meant it.

No matter how much he hated the capitol for killing his father, if they wanted entertainment, then he was going to give them one hell of a show.

* * *

**District Two**

Thank God there were only three minutes for each goodbye.

Jude's parents and older brothers filed into the room one by one, eyes solemn and serious. Surely another lecture was coming.

He didn't care about their goodbyes. He had lost all respect for them a long time ago. The only one Jude really cared about was his older brother, Axel, but he had died two years ago in a previous Hunger Games. There was no one left worthy of his affection.

Jude's father was the first to speak up. "Son." He nodded.

"Father." Jude replied mockingly.

"I have nothing to say, just make sure you keep your eyes on the prize. Don't let anything distract you from victory." His father said calmly.

"Like usual." Jude rolled his eyes.

"What, are you still angry because of this morning?" His mother spoke up.

Jude crossed his arms. "Yes, actually I am. Those last five minutes were important and your shenanigans threw off my schedule completely."

His mother sighed and shook her head. "Jude, your OCD is getting out of control." She mumbled.

Jude frowned at her. "I do not have OCD."

"Dr. Scott diagnosed you w-" His mother began.

"I don't care what Dr. Scott did!" Jude suddenly yelled. "Now get out, all of you. You have managed to further spoil my mood and I do not wish to speak to any of you anymore. Out!"

His mother and father's eyes widened at their son.

"But-" Jude's older brother began.

"But nothing! None of you have ever cared about me, you just wanted me to volunteer so you could all mooch off of my wealth after I win. I know your game, now get out! Now!" Jude yelled, his face heating up with anger.

His mother looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't. As the family left the room, Jude slammed the door shut behind them. It felt so good to finally tell his parents how he felt without there being a consequence. Letting out a deep breath, Jude fell onto the plush white velvet and let himself cool down.

* * *

Knives could hear yelling in the room next to her. She briefly wondered what was going on in Jude's goodbyes before she focused in on her own.

Currently, her twin brother was clinging to her in a hug, sobbing.

"Knives, you never told me you were volunteering." He wailed.

Knives patted his back. "I know, Blades, I didn't tell anybody."

He broke apart from her. "But why?" He asked desperately. "Why did you volunteer?"

"We deserve a better life, Blades. We shouldn't have to live just above the poverty line. We deserve to be living in a mansion with a lot of food." She explained evenly. "I swear I'm gonna try to win."

Blades shook his head. "No, no, no. You didn't have to do this. We would've been okay, really."

"Well we can't change it now, can we? I told you, I'm gonna try to win. I swear, this will all be worth it in a month." She assured him.

"Okay," he nodded sadly, tears dripping down his chin. "I just can't imagine you dying, Knives. I don't know what I'm gonna do."

"You say that as if I'm already dead." Knives tried to laugh.

"I'm just prepared for the worst." He mumbled.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a peacekeeper walked in and told them that their time was up. Knives hugged her brother one last time and waved goodbye as the door closed behind him. After he was gone, Knives sat on the couch and buried her head in her hands. What had she done? What if she didn't win? She never wanted to hurt her brother, but this was what was best for both of them. She had to do it... Didn't she?

* * *

**District Three**

Cain cried into his mother's shoulder as she rubbed her hand up and down his back, trying to soothe him.

"It's okay, Cain... Shh, it's okay." His mother said as she tried to hold back her own tears.

"Mom, I'm going to die!" He cried as more tears rolled down his cheeks.

"No... No you won't. Tell him David, everything's going to be okay." His mother said, looking up at her husband.

This was his father's cue for another speech on self confidence. Cain had always been an insecure kid, causing his father to always try to lift his spirits with lectures about believing in himself. Mr. Tesla had become quite the motivational speaker over the years.

"Now son," Mr. Tesla boomed. "I know you have it in you to win this thing. You may not believe in yourself right now, but once you rise into that arena, you will realize that these games are yours to win. You are strong and fast, faster that a jack rabbit. You are confident and handsome. You are a star, son! I know you can do it. Now wipe those tears off your face and be a man!"

Cain looked at his father hopelessly. "Dad, I'm a loser. I'll never win this thing. I'm not a star, I'm a loser." He cried.

His father tried to smile confidently, but inside, he was feeling hopeless too. His son wasn't strong or or fast. He didn't have anything going for him other than that he was smart. That would be helpful, except everyone knew that the Hunger Games were a brawn over brains sort of thing. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but his son was royally screwed.

* * *

No one came to visit Lithium.

Her parents hated her, her friends were scared away. The only person that might visit her was Henna, but she was a jailbird, and after the reapings, all the prisoners were escorted right back to there cells without a break. Henna wasn't allowed to visit her, so Lithium had no goodbyes.

Lithium kicked her feet up and relaxed, letting her mind wander.

She wanted to laugh. The district thought they would be getting rid of her that easily, it was almost hilarious. If she was going to be executed after the reapings, why not just volunteer? Sure, she was walking into a death match, but she still might have a fighting chance.

At least she got to save that little girl from being reaped. Maybe it would portray her as a hero. This also made Lithium want to laugh because she knew that she was no hero. She was the farthest thing from it, she was indeed the villain.

She leaned back on her elbows and smirked as she scanned the room.

"And to think I would've been dead by now." She sang.

A grin stretched across her face. Whoever the other tributes were this year were unlucky. They were very unlucky.

* * *

**District Four**

Marina finally let down her tough girl act as she cried freely into her mother and little sister's shoulders. Her mother even cried with her.

Her father didn't cry though. He was sitting on the couch, eyes a million miles away. He had been a big influence on Marina's decision to volunteer and he knew that. Of course he didn't want his daughter to go into that arena, but the family _needed_ the money. If she did win, they would never have to go hungry again.

"You're coming back, right?" Her younger sister, Oceana, asked.

Marina nodded. "I'm going to try."

"You have to come back." Oceana muttered. "You're a career, they always come back. I can't lose my sister."

Something twanged painfully in Marina's heart at her sister's words. She really did have to come back now. She couldn't leave Oceana without a sister. She had to win, she just had to.

* * *

The Justice Building was just what Raegan thought it would be like. In the room he was given were plush foam green couches and blue ombre walls. There was a large aquarium on one side of the room, casting a soft blue glow on the tile floor. A guy could get used to this. He was so ready to get to the capitol. Everyone knew the tributes were treated like royalty right before the games.

As he smiled to himself, the door clicked open. In walked his mother and younger brother, Hans. His mother was crying and Hans studied him critically.

"You know I'm proud of you, son, but I'm just so worried. Just promise me... Just promise..." His mother cried.

"Promise you what, mom?" Raegan asked.

"That you'll come back safely." She choked out.

He nodded, inwardly feeling annoyed with his mother's dramatics. He didn't tell her how annoying she was though, after all, this could be goodbye.

She took a step forward to give him a hug and Raegan took one step back.

"Mom, you know I don't do hugs." Raegan said, irritation leaking into his voice.

His mother frowned at him. "But Raegan, this could be the last time we see you."

Raegan laughed. "I can assure you, it won't be."

* * *

**District Five**

After Freddie's mother left the Justice Building, he was feeling hopeless as ever. She was so condescending, telling him he didn't stand a chance in the games like that. He was feeling very down and needed to see his boyfriend's face. His heart ached desperately for him.

After a long five minutes, the door opened and Mitch walked in. His eyes were watery and bloodshot from crying and his chin trembled as he saw Freddie's worried face. Mitch was the only person Freddie wanted to see right now. He was the only one that could make him feel better.

"Oh Freddie." Tears spilled down Mitch's cheeks.

"Mitch..." Freddie tried to say something more, but there was nothing he could say.

"I... I just can't believe this happened." Mitch stuttered. He was speechless too.

"Mitch, I'm gonna try to w-win." Freddie said shakily. "I-I feel like I need to come back, I can't leave you behind like this. This is the first time I've ever felt like this. I just... I can't die in there." Freddie looked into his teary blue eyes.

"Babe, I'm so afraid. It's like... It's like I finally found you and now you're being taken from me. Freddie, if you die, I think I might die too."

Tears fell down Freddie's face too. "I'll try and come back, I swear. I'll always come back for you, Mitch."

Suddenly, Mitch crossed the gap and kissed Freddie hard on the lips. The kiss was long and passionate, flooding Freddie's body with warmth all the way to his fingertips. Mitch broke it off and wrapped his arms around Freddie in a hug. Freddie held onto him as tight as he could, fearing when he had to let go. Together, they cried and for a moment, Freddie just had the urge to run away with him and never come back. He knew as long as he had Mitch everything was going to be okay. He didn't want to accept that this was probably goodbye.

After Mitch was escorted out, Freddie sat on the couch, hands in his elbows, feeling like his lifeline had just been taken from him.

That's when the door opened again. Freddie looked up to see a few friends from school standing in the doorway. They smelled like weed and they all had goofy smiles on their faces. Ah yes, his stoner friends.

"Bro, we know you can do this!" One of them burst out. "You are going to kick ass in there and we are going to have watching parties every night, cheering you on!"

All four of Freddie's friends cheered.

"Yeah!" "Freddie you've got this in the bag!" "You're gonna beast on them other guys!" They all shouted words of encouragement at him, causing Freddie to smile just a little bit, covering the pain he was feeling. His friends always knew how to cheer him up.

When it quieted down, one of the boys smiled and pulled something out from behind his back.

"We brought you something." The boy smiled mischievously. "Think of it as your token."

Freddie looked down to see what it was.

It was weed. A big bag of it too. No doubt that was expensive, really expensive.

"Why'd you bring me this?" Freddie asked.

The boys looked at each other as if it were obvious.

"To get turnt in the capitol, duh!" One of them exclaimed.

They all cheered again.

* * *

Salome sat in the justice building, angry. How dare her teacher not visit her.

It had been fifteen minutes since her last visit and she was steaming. Out of everyone who had visited her, she didn't want to see anyone as much as she wanted to see Mr. Black and he didn't even show up.

She had just kicked her feet up and began relaxing when the door opened slowly. She looked up with raised eyebrows to find Mr. Black standing there. A smile immediately stretched across her face at his wide eyes.

"Salome... I- I'm sorry this is happening to you." He stuttered, not sure what to say.

She studied him carefully. "You seem nervous." She said calmly.

He nodded. "I am. I didn't think you would be reaped."

She clicked her tongue. "Yep, me neither."

"Salome, I just wanted to say I'm sorry th-" He began.

"You know what I was thinking?" Salome interrupted.

He raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"When I get back, well if I get back, we wouldn't have to see each other in secret anymore. We could really be out in the open. I won't be a student there anymore because I won't need the education, so you wouldn't lose your job and we could-" she said excitedly.

"Salome." It was his turn to interrupt. "It's illegal."

She looked up at him, her smile dropping. He had never brought this up before.

"You're what, sixteen?" He continued. "I'm twenty-five. If you were eighteen then whatever, but you're not. I guess what I'm trying to say is that... It's just not going to work out. I came to say goodbye."

"You're- you're breaking up with me?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

He shrugged. "We were never actually a thing."

Salome felt like he had just dunked her in ice. What did he mean they were never an item? They were so close, weren't they? This man was everything she had ever wanted. How were they through just like that?

"Again, I came to say goodbye." He said before leaving.

As he was escorted out the door, Salome sat there with a confused frown on her face. What just happened? Goodbye... That meant she wouldn't be coming back. Did he think she would be dying in there? Didn't he believe in her?

* * *

**District Six**

Ike sat on the velvet couch, head resting in his hands. He was very disappointed with the fact that he was just reaped, especially alongside a little kid. He let his mind wander to the games. He wondered what the other tributes would be like and if they would be bloodthirsty this year.

When the door opened, he was wondering how he would ever get the courage to kill another human being.

"Ike!" His three little sisters cried as they ran into his arms, tears staining their faces.

"Don't cry, you guys. Everything's gonna be fine." Ike soothed, rubbing his hands up and down their backs.

The youngest one, Laurel, was standing their with a confused look on her face. Ike new she didn't understand what was going on, she was just too young.

"Mom and dad say you're going away, but I don't want..." She trailed off.

Ike sighed. "I know, but I have to go."

"But you'll come back, right?" Laurel asked hopefully.

Ike looked up at his parents, then back at Laurel. "I hope so." He muttered.

* * *

Wisteria waited a long time for her family to come. When they did show up, they all looked upset and defeated. Wisteria ran right into her mother's arms.

"I'm so sorry, darling. I never wanted this to happen." Her mother cried. "We all just wanted to see you one last time."

_One last time_... Those words echoed in Wisteria's head. "But mom..."

"Shh, it's okay." Her mother soothed.

Wisteria looked up at her older brother. "A-Andy?" She whimpered.

Andy sighed and pulled his little sister into an unexpected hug, squeezing the breath out of her. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you this time." He muttered.

"It-it's fine." Wisteria said in a small voice as he let go. "Really, it's fine."

Andy shook his head slowly. "Just try, okay?" He asked of her. "I have a feeling you can make it back."

Wisteria nodded, though inside she felt hopeless.

* * *

**District Seven**

Aspen paced the room anxiously. He didn't know whether the feeling bubbling in his chest was fear or excitement, but something told him it was both. He didn't want to feel excited about the games, but he had already imagined it in his head. He and Petunia could be allies and take the Hunger Games by storm. He was going to get to visit the capitol too, something many people never get to experience. Hell, he could even _win_. There were many positive things that went along with getting reaped.

The door opened and his entire family filed into the room, looking sad. His older sister even showed up to say goodbye. It surprised Aspen because she barely ever came home anymore since she was in college now. Today really was his lucky day.

"Oh, Aspen." His mother cried as she wrapped her son in a hug. "I can't believe this happened. I'm so sorry!"

Aspen wiggled free. "It's okay, mom. I'm feeling good about this." He smiled.

A look of pure confusion crossed his family's faces.

"Wh-what do you mean?" His older cousin, Ash, questioned.

Aspen's smile grew wider. "I mean, I feel like I can win. You guys, no one will see me as a threat. They'll all ignore me, and then BAM I'll get them all at the last minute. It's a genius plan, isn't it?" Aspen asked, feeling excited.

"I'm afraid you're looking at this the wrong way." His older sister muttered.

Aspen frowned. "What?" He asked.

"Aspen, they'll be looking at you as the easiest target."

* * *

Petunia sat on the plush purple couch, feet dangling off the floor. Now that she was alone, nothing could keep her from crying. She was so afraid, so petrified of what was to come. She would be the first one dead, she just knew it.

Suddenly, the door opened and her parents burst into the room.

"My baby!" Her mother cried as she squeezed her in an embrace. A moment later, her father's strong arms enveloped them both. Petunia cried freely into her parent's arms, never wanting them to leave. She had never wanted them around so badly.

After they broke apart, her mother clutched onto her shoulders. "Sweetheart, I know you can do this." She said, determined. "You're so smart, you'll make a plan to stay alive. These things are all about outsmarting your opponent. I _know_ you have it in you. Just please, please try to win."

"Mom, I'm probably going to die in there." Petunia cried.

"No honey, everything is going to be okay." Her mother assured her.

"But it's _not_." She said.

After a few more minutes of her parents telling her how great she was, there was a knock on the door. It was a peacekeeper, signaling that their time was up.

"We'll see you again!" Her mother called as they were escorted away. "I love you!"

"I love you too!" Petunia called after them.

* * *

**District Eight**

"You know i would've volunteered for you if i were a boy, right?" Serra said as she burst through the door.

Rory snorted loudly. "Would you now."

Serra narrowed her eyes at him. "Drop the tough guy act, Rory. You're going into a death match and I want you to listen to me, really listen to me. I don't care if we fight like cats and dogs, you're still my little brother and if you die, I'm gonna flip shit. I know you don't wanna die either, so you need to find an ally in there. You're intuitive. You can tell who's trustworthy and who's not. You need to be cautious too. Everything in that arena could be poison for all you know. Use iodine in your water, grab a backpack from the cornucopia, and never let your guard down. Do you hear me? Don't you go dying on me."

"How come you're telling me all this now?" Rory asked, frowning.

"Um, because you've just been reaped?" She deadpinned. "Look I know I don't talk to you that much anymore, but I still love you, ya know. You have to try, do you understand."

He paused, taking in her advice. "I could still die though." He said softly.

She sighed. "Then make a plan. I know you're a strategist."

Rory sighed. "Yeah maybe. I mean, I am pretty smart."

"I know you are." She nodded.

"I might be able to win. Once all this fear has passed, maybe I can make a plan and grab a few allies. Maybe you're right."

Serra nodded. "Of course I'm right. I-"

Suddenly the door opened and a peacekeeper was standing in the doorframe. "Your three minutes is up, girl. Let's go."

Serra frowned at the man. "That was not three minutes." She growled.

The peacekeeper rolled his eyes. "Don't make this difficult, girl. You know what happened to you at the reapings. You're lucky you weren't tased. Now get going. NOW." He raised his voice.

Serra obstinately obeyed. She turned back towards Rory on her way out. "Remember what I told you, Rory! I love y-"

The door slammed shut and Rory was left in the silence.

* * *

Flora stayed strong for her siblings as they cried.

Currently, Andrew and Julian were racking their brains for some life saving advice, Calista was clinging onto Flora's shoulder, crying, and Wiley wet his pants.

"Oh Wiley!" Flora gasped. "We need to get you cleaned up." She said as she began to stand.

"No." Andrew said strongly. "We only have three minutes to talk."

Flora sat back down, obeying her younger brother.

"Yeah." Julian agreed. "We need to see you one last time before you go away."

Flora felt sorrow well up in her gut. They made it sound like she wouldn't be coming back. Out of everyone, her family was supposed to be the ones who believed in her. Knowing that they doubted her was probably the worst feeling in the world.

Calista rested her head on Flora's shoulder. "It's a shame mom couldn't come. She is going to be so upset." She hiccuped.

Flora grimaced, remembering that her mother wasn't there with them.

"She'll understand." Julian cut in. "Right now we need to talk strategy. Flora, do you remember how to tie ropes and set up traps?" He demanded.

"Yeah, I g-" she began.

"Good, because you're going to need them. You could win too if you'd just get the courage to kill someone. You need to kill in order to win. Also you need to learn how to wield a knife..." He kept on talking, but Flora had zoned out.

She knew she couldn't kill someone. She also knew she was probably going to die. She just hoped they would be okay with it when it happened.

* * *

**District Nine**

Cherry stood in the middle of the room, feeling sadness swell in her chest. Tawny had already came to say goodbye to her, and knowing that none of her other peers would be visiting her was one of the most upsetting feelings in the universe.

"Sweetie." A quivering voice said as the door opened.

Her parents filed into the room and hugged her. Her mother's lip was trembling as she tried to speak and her father was too seized with shock to cry. For the moment, Cherry just stood there in her parents' warm embrace and tried to make sense of it all.

"Don't cry, mom." Cherry pleaded.

Her mother wiped the tears off of her cheeks and gave a breathless laugh. "I'm sorry, dear. I'm just a bit overwhelmed. I never thought... I never thought this could happen to you."

Cherry nodded. "Neither did I." She said with raised eyebrows. "Mom, I'm so afraid."

More tears spilled from her mother's eyes. "Oh honey." She cried as she embraced her daughter in another hug, crying heavily.

In that moment, Cherry began to cry too.

* * *

Lyle couldn't stop shaking. Even when his father came into the room and wrapped him in a warm hug, he couldn't deny the fear that pooled in the bottom of his stomach.

"Son, look at me." His father pleaded as he put both of his hands on his shoulders. "Don't be afraid. Lyle, you can do this."

This only caused Lyle to shake even harder. He knew he couldn't do this. He was so small... so weak. He was going to die in that arena and he knew it. Nothing could stop him from crying into his dad's shoulder.

"Dad, I'm dead." Lyle cried, body trembling.

"No son, please don't say that." His father said, his voice cracking. Only when Lyle looked up, did he see that his father was crying too. "Please don't ever say that or even think it. I have a feeling you can do this. You don't have to fight. You can hide and make traps. Other people have one by doing that, and son, you can do it too." His father said though tears.

This didn't help Lyle at all. In his mind, he was already dead.

"I love you, dad." He choked out.

"I love you too, son." His father echoed.

* * *

**District Ten**

Haven looked out the window at the landscape with his arms crossed. He could be there right now, going back home on the train. Instead, he would be taking a different train, one to the capitol. A feeling of longing filled his whole body. Oh, how he longed to be free again. He would do anything not to be going into the Hunger Games.

The door clicked open and Haven instantly whipped around. His family was filling the room, their faces contoured in pain and sadness.

"Hey guys." Haven sighed tiredly.

"Haven, I'm sorry for calling you stupid this morning." His brother wiped the tears from his eyes.

Haven uncrossed his arms. "It's okay, Christian. I don't even care about that." He said as he wrapped his older brother in a hug. Christian patted his back as more tears spilled from his eyes.

The two brothers broke apart and Haven turned towards his parents.

"Mom, dad." Haven acknowledged.

"Oh Haven, I'm so sorry." His mother cried as she embraced him. "I'm so sorry!"

Haven shook his head. "No, it's not your fault. It's the stupid capitol's fault. They're the ones who did this."

His mother gasped. "Son, you can't talk like that." She said, her eyes darting around the room, looking for any hidden cameras.

"I'm only telling the truth." He muttered.

His mother looked him dead in the eye. "You must promise that you won't go on anymore of your anti capitol rants, Haven. You _must_ promise."

Haven sighed. "I promise."

* * *

Lorelei's family stood in the room, trying to give her some life saving advice.

"...Oh and don't forget to practice with the spear during training!" Her older brother recommended. "I remember you were really good with that when we had that field day at school."

Her father nodded. "Your smarts will come in handy during the games, Lorelei. You've gotten all A's and B's since third grade."

Lorelei shook her head. "Dad, the games are about intelligence and being wise, not being quote on quote smart. There's a difference." She explained. "I doubt I'll be able to outsmart someone because I'm good at math."

Her father shrugged. "You just might."

"Yeah, the arena might be one big game show where you have to do math problems and answer history questions." Her brother joked.

Her mother elbowed him. "Mikey, stop it." She muttered.

"So what about you, mom? You've been awful quiet." Lorelei asked.

Her mother shrugged. "I don't know how to feel about this. It was a bit of a shock, you know, I'm still a bit shaken."

"I know, so am I." Lorelei said as she hugged her mother.

"I just hope you can win." Her mother whispered.

Lorelei smiled sadly. "So do I."

* * *

**District Eleven**

"You!" Teddy's mother growled as she barged through the door. Her eyes were wild and her breath smelled like alcohol, just like this morning.

Teddy instinctively squirmed to the corner of the room and looked up at her in fear.

"Mom... Mom please!" He tried to reason with her as she brought her fist down on him.

_Smack!_

"How dare you go and get reaped! How dare you try to leave me!" His mother yelled as she hit him again.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" Teddy began, tears spilling out of his eyes. He thought he had cried himself dry this morning, but apparently he still had tears left to spare.

"Oh yes you did mean it. You were always going to leave, just like your brother. You useless-" she was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open.

Suddenly, a swarm of white separated Teddy from his mother. The peacekeepers had entered the room and were beginning to haul her away. Teddy's mind was swamped with confusion.

"What are you doing!" His mother screamed as she tried to kick them away.

"Under no circumstances will I allow you to harm a tribute." The peacekeeper boomed as he hauled her out the door.

The door slammed shut, leaving a very shaken Teddy all alone in the room. He could hear his mother shouting as they dragged her down the hallway. It wasn't until her voice faded away did Teddy dare to breathe. He was now truly and utterly alone. At the same time a feeling of pride swelled up in his chest. No one had ever protected him before against his mother. His sister always knew it was too dangerous and Teddy couldn't protect himself, so he always had to endure her beatings.

Perhaps there was hope after all.

* * *

As Talulah's family walked through the door, her heart was aching. She didn't want to say goodbye to them, she never wanted to be apart from them. She had been doing so well lately, getting that job in the orchard, making money, doing good in school... She had so much going for her and now it was all being taken away.

"Mom..." Talulah's lip quivered as she ran into her mother's arms.

Her mother had tears running down her cheeks. "Oh, sweetheart." She whimpered. "This is just awful."

Talulah nodded as she let go. "I know, I can't believe it."

Her mother squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't either."

She turned to her little brother and reached inside of her pocket. "Here." She said as she held out the ten coins she had earned earlier.

His eyes widened. "Talulah, you know I can't take that from you." He said as he pushed her hand away.

"No." She insisted. "I _want_ you to have this. I have no use for it anymore. Take it, buy yourself something nice." She said as she put the coins into his hands.

Her brother smiled softly. "Thank you, sis."

She smiled sadly. "No problem."

* * *

**District Twelve**

Adelaide sat on the couch, patiently, waiting for her guests. She didn't know what to think right now. This had all happened so fast and it was all so unexpected, she was truly shocked.

Suddenly, the door flew open and May burst into the room.

"Addy!" She cried as she squeezed her best friend in a tight hug. Adelaide felt something wet on her shoulder and numbly realized that May was crying.

"Adelaide, listen to me. Please, please, _please_ try to win. I can't imagine going on without you, I should've volunteered for you, I really should have. If you die... I'll never forgive myself." May cried.

"May, don't say that. It's okay, really." Adelaide tried to reason with her.

May's eyes grew hard. "Be aggressive, Addy."

Confusion clouded Adelaide's mind. "What?"

"Be _aggressive_. Don't let anyone take this from you. Don't be afraid to kill someone. Don't trust any of those other tributes, they'll kill you! Oh my god, Adelaide, I just can't lose you!" May rambled.

Adelaide nodded. "I will, May. I'll do it for you."

* * *

A deep rage burned within Sully. These stupid games were stealing his life away from him. He hated the Hunger Games, he never wanted to be apart of them. He didn't want to kill innocent children, he didn't want any of this. Unfortunately, he would have to go along with it if he wanted to come back home.

The door clicked open and a pile of his friends came barging into the room. They were all talking at once, making it hard for Sully to understand anything they were saying.

"Sully, there are-" "Bro, we got-" "You can-" They were all talking simultaneously, filling the room with masculine teenage voices.

Eventually, Sully got sick of it and shook his head violently. "Shut up!" He yelled.

It quieted down and all the boys looked at Sully with wide eyes.

"I can't understand any of you when you're all talking at once." Sully said, irritated.

"Sorry, bro." One of the boys sighed. "How are you holding up?" He asked.

Sully took a sharp intake of air. "I'm pissed to be quite honest with you. Actually, I'm completely and utterly furious. I want nothing to do with these stupid ass games, but now I'm being forced into it."

Another boy that was covered in mud nodded. "I'd feel the same way." He nodded. "I'm gonna miss you, bro." He said as he wrapped Sully in a bear hug.

"Group hug!" One of the boys yelled. All twelve boys gathered together in a hug and Sully stood in the middle, cherishing every last second he got to spend with his friends.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, I'm sorry that it took me so long to update, but this chapter was a long one and took a while to write. I had this idea that I'd write one district per day, but then that would have took 12 days, so I wrote about 2 districts per day and that's why it's taken me like a week to update. Plus I've had school and art classes and stuff to go to.. So yeah. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sooo excited for the capitol. The train rides are next! Til then :)**


	15. Train Rides

**District One**

The noise outside was deafening and she loved it. Velvet was encased by a group of four peacekeepers, escorting her through the train station and onto the train. There was a mob of people pushing through each other for the golden opportunity to see her before she left. People called her name so she would look over and they could get a quality photograph. It was madness and Velvet absolutely adored it. She blew kisses to the crowd as she stepped onto the train and smiled widely as the door shut behind her.

The moment the door shut, the noise from outside was completely sealed out, leaving Velvet with a horrible ringing noise in her ears. With a moan, she plopped into a soft cushioned chair and closed her eyes.

As the ringing subsided, Velvet peeled open her eyes to find that her district partner was sitting in the chair across from her, evaluating her quietly.

He had been on her mind ever since he had gotten reaped. She knew that she recognized him from somewhere, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Suddenly, it all clicked into place. _Ah, Kramer the Killer_, she remembered with a smirk. He was the boy that killed Saffron Velspar a few years ago. Kramer had bludgeoned him to death on the school playground with a baseball bat. By the time the teachers pulled Saffron out from under him, he was already dead. His skull was smashed in if she remembered correctly. The kids at school said that Kramer had been sent to jail before going back home. That was the last she had seen of that scarlet haired boy, until today.

"You're awful quiet." Kramer observed, noticing Velvet had been staring at him for quite some time.

Velvet jumped a bit at his words as she pulled herself out of her memories. She hadn't expected him to speak.

"Are you, hm i don't know, afraid?" he asked playfully.

"No i'm not. I just find you intimidating" she said truthfully.

He nodded and closed his eyes. "You should find me intimidating."

Velvet looked at him strangely. "You sure are confident, huh?"

Kramer took a sharp intake of breath before leaning back in his chair. "I like to think so." He said in a low voice as he rose from his chair.

And with that, Kramer cut off their conversation and walked to his room.

* * *

**District Two**

The train ride for District Two was quiet.

Knives didn't bother making idle conversation with Jude, who didn't seem like a small talk kind of guy in the first place. The two tributes sat on opposite sides of the room. Jude was gazing out the window thoughtfully, while Knives was eating a slice of rich cheesecake in the corner.

Knives noted that Jude was very handsome. He was built like a predator, lean and strong, towering at over six foot three. He had jet black hair that had been clipped short and cold grey eyes that seemed to penetrate one's very soul. Jude also had a masculine jaw line and straight eyebrows. Knives found it difficult to keep her eyes off of him.

Knives' eyes were glazed over, staring at Jude, when he turned around.

"What are you looking at?" He snapped, looking irritated.

Knives jumped in her chair, surprised that he was talking to her. Her knee accidentally hit the bottom of the table and knocked her cheesecake onto the floor. "Nothing, nothing!" She said quickly as she scrambled to pick up her fallen dessert.

Jude scoffed at her.

Knives hurriedly tossed her cheesecake in the trash can and sat back in her chair awkwardly. She didn't dare make eye contact with Jude as she tried to hold still under his critical gaze.

"Do you want to be my ally?" He suddenly asked.

Knives' eyes flew open and met his. "Uh, y-yeah." She stuttered.

Jude shifted his body back towards the window and began to stare at the passing landscape again. "Good." He muttered.

* * *

**District Three**

Lithium sat alone in the last cart as she looked out the window. The District Three roads were beginning to disappear behind her as they entered a new district. They would be passing though one or two districts on there way to the capitol. If she remembered correctly, this was District One.

Cain had ran into his room the minute he got onto the train and locked the door so no one could get in. Lithium had heard him crying earlier, but he quieted down now. Perhaps he had fallen asleep. Cain was weak, she knew. That would make him easy prey, but she wanted to lure in bigger competitors. Cain would only have to do if no one else would.

Cain was a nerd from school. He had tousled blonde hair and wide brown eyes, usually hidden behind glasses. He was kind of cute in a nerdy way, but not the type Lithium went after at all. She had seen him at the hallways at school usually getting shoved into lockers or getting the books smacked out of his hands. He was so awkward, it was almost embarrassing.

As Lithium pulled herself out thoughts about Cain, the door slid open, revealing the escort, Griffin.

Now this was her type. Griffin had curly golden hair and amber eyes. He had several jewels lining his eyes and lightly tanned skin. He was oddly attractive if she did say so herself.

"So how are you holding up, Lithium?" Griffin asked as he sat down in the seat across from her.

Lithium turned towards him, studying him. "I'm just fine." She said coolly, though inside she could feel the fire flowing through her veins.

She could feel her eyes grow dark, a gnawing need eating her from the inside. When she looked at Griffin, he was tall, but slim. She might be able to take him. She suppressed a growl and Griffin's eyes grew confused.

"L-Lithium? Are you okay?" He asked, sounding afraid.

Lithium snapped herself out of her mind just in time, a soft smile creeping across her face. "Dandy." She smiled.

But how much longer would she be able to control it?

* * *

**District Four**

Raegan strutted onto the train first, feeling confident. His reaping had went well, his goodbyes had went well, now he had the train ride to look forward to. He was ready for the lights, cameras, and action all on him. He couldn't wait to get to the capitol.

Sinking into the plush velvet couch, he took a deep breath, letting any stress seep out of his body. Here he was. He was finally on his way to the games.

"Don't get too comfortable." A voice said from behind him.

Raegan jumped. As he turned around, he saw a young man sitting behind him, eating a slice of chocolate cake. He had tan skin with curling blonde hair and bright green eyes. Raegan recognized him immediately.

Raegan smiled. "Ah, the infamous Logan White."

Logan nodded as he bit into another slice of cake. "Yes, that would be me." He said. "And you're Raegan, am I right?"

Raegan grinned. "That's my name. I'm assuming you will be your mentor."

Logan leaned back in his chair and observed Raegan. He was cocky, Logan could tell right off the bat.

That was when the doors peeled open again, revealing Marina. She walked onto the train feeling emotionally drained and exhausted. Her bright blue eyes were red and puffy from crying in the justice building and her posture was sagging. Raegan snorted when he saw her, so vulnerable and weak. She would never win at that rate. Why did she even volunteer if she was going to cry? If anything, she should be excited, just like he was.

"Hello." Logan nodded politely towards Marina.

She slowly turned her head towards the two boys and nodded weakly. She knew she had made a bad introduction, but right now she just didn't care. She had realized in the goodbyes room that it was the wrong decision to volunteer.

Marina turned on her heel and went into her room, leaving Raegan and Logan alone.

* * *

**District Five**

Freddie was feeling really depressed when he got onto the train. Clutching the drugs his friends had given him under his shirt, he stepped into the food and drink cart. With a heavy sigh, he fell into a soft chair and closed his eyes. The only thing on his mind since the goodbyes had been Mitch and his heart was hurting already. He missed his boyfriend so much and it had only been twenty minutes.

Scanning the room, his eyes were dull until they landed on the liquor table. That was when his eyes lit up and he rose out of his seat. Automatically walking over to the table, he reached out his hand and grabbed a bottle of scotch. He opened it up and poured some into a mug.

He sat back down and began to drink.

And drink.

And drink.

On the other end of the train, Salome had settled down for a nap. When she woke up, she was surprised to see that her district partner wasn't here yet. Surely they hadn't left without him, had they? Deciding that he had to be around here somewhere, she got up groggily and began to search for him.

It didn't take long to find him. He was in the food and drink cart, head resting on the table. His hand was clutching an almost empty mug of liquor.

"Freddie?" She asked quietly, not wanting to surprise him.

No response.

"Freddie." She repeated strongly.

"Huh?" Freddie stirred. He lifted his head, smacking his lips in a satisfied sort of way, tasting the liquor on his tongue. In front of him was a pretty girl with long, straight blonde hair and clear amber eyes that reminded him of whisky. "Oh hey." He said tiredly, his eyes adjusting to the bright lights. "How's it going?"

"We're you drinking that?" She said as she sat in in the chair across from him, eyeing the mug of scotch.

He lowered his gaze to the mug as well. "Oh... Yeah." He sighed. "Did you want some?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't drink." Salome was hesitant because she had never drank before.

Freddie eyed her. "Come on, we're gonna be dead soon anyways." He replied honestly.

Salome shrugged, giving in to her curiosity. "Okay, just a little."

Freddie poured her a small glass of scotch and handed it to her. Salome took it hesitantly and looked at the sun-kissed golden liquid before taking a tiny sip. The drink tasted like leather mixed with smoke. It burned going down, causing Salome to cough a bit. "It's too strong for me." She said as she handed it back to him.

"It has an acquired taste." He replied, knocking back her unfinished glass with ease. He smiled wryly at Salome.

Suddenly the escort, Osiris, burst into the room, leaping and twirling. "Hurry tributes, they are showing the reapings in exactly ten minutes!" He cried as he ushered them out of the food and drink cart and into the lounge area.

* * *

**District Six**

Wisteria timidly sat next to Ike on the couch. They were getting ready to watch the first screening of the reapings. This was where they would see their competition for the first time. Wisteria was nervous to see who she would be going up against this year.

Ike smiled at her as she sat down next to him. Ike was a good looking guy with blonde hair and pretty light blue eyes. He was about six feet tall with a lean build. His long legs indicated that he might be fast, which would probably help him in the games. He had height, something Wisteria didn't have on her side. She was easily the smallest one in her class back home.

Suddenly, the television on the wall crackled to life, causing Wisteria to jump a little. The capitol seal shimmered onto the screen as the musical tunes of the anthem blared through the speakers. As the song ended and the seal faded, Wisteria saw that Cosmo Lavish had returned for another year as the capitol host for the Hunger Games. Cosmo Lavish was the bubbly television personality that ran the interviews and commentaries of the games. This year, his skin was a sickly shade of green with purple splotches under his eyes. His hair was done into a puffy, jet black ponytail and his lipstick was as red as ever. Wisteria wondered what he was supposed to be representing.

Cosmo introduced himself to Panem once again and smiled. "Welcome, Panem! Today has been the most exciting day of the year and the excitement has yet to grow!" He boomed in a dramatic voice. "Today, twenty-four very lucky tributes have won the once in a lifetime opportunity to compete in the Nineteenth Annual Hunger Games!"

Wisteria frowned. They were not lucky at all.

"Up first is our luxury district, District One!" Cosmo grinned as his face faded off screen and shots and clips of the district were shown before getting into their reapings.

The girl who volunteered was a bombshell, with wide brown eyes and long blonde hair that flipped in the wind as she ran towards the stage. The boy was flat out intimidating, the way he glared at the cameras like that. His hair was blood red, and something inside of Wisteria told her that he would be out for blood too once they got into the arena. They blurred his hand as he shot it into the air, but it was obvious, he had given all of Panem the middle finger. Ike burst out laughing and Wisteria couldn't help but smile a little bit too.

Then, District One faded away as District Two took it's place. The boy that volunteered was tall and lean with an extremely handsomely sculpted face. He came across very serious and professional as he walked to the stage slowly, his head held high. He looked like he would be a vicious killer. The girl however, looked a little bit young for a District Two volunteer as she leaped onto the stage and landed with a crash. She had long, braided black hair and brown eyes. District Two usually had eighteen year old volunteers. Wisteria wondered how old she was.

The blonde girl that volunteered from District Three scared Wisteria. She had several long, healing cuts on her arms and collar and her hands were cuffed behind her back. It was obvious that she had been in jail. Wisteria's stomach flipped as she imagined what she had done to get in there. The boy, however, was less intimidating. He was a thin, scared boy with blonde hair and glasses. His knee was scratched and he clutched a book in his hands.

District Four produced two volunteers again this year. The boy, Raegan, was cocky and full of himself as he stood in front of the microphone and told his district that he already had this in the bag. He had a haughty smirk on his face and a dangerous glint in his eyes. The girl was really beautiful with long black hair and electric blue eyes. She seemed a little more humble as she didn't give any kind of speech and blushed when the escort complimented her beauty. But either way, she was still a career.

The boy from District Five was obviously on some sort of drugs as he completely passed up the steps and slammed right into base of the stage. Ike tried to choke down a laugh as the boy was helped up. He looked extremely confused. The girl tried to run twice and fought the peacekeepers twice. She was tough, Wisteria would have to watch her in training and see what she did.

Up next was the two of them. The camera panned down on their familiar home town, District Six. Wisteria watched her own reaction as she was reaped and walked to the stage. It felt like someone else was walking around in her skin.

"You did a good job." Ike said kindly as he smiled at her.

"Thank you." Wisteria smiled back bashfully.

Next, Ike was called and his reaction was a mixture of shock and anger. He walked up the steps and his face immediately softened as he saw how small Wisteria was up close.

Then, the screen faded into District Seven, where two twelve year old's were reaped. The boy seemed almost happy as he rushed up to the stage. He had strawberry blonde hair and energetic green eyes. The girl, however, was more hesitant about going to the stage, but her nerves were clearly eased a little bit as the boy smiled at her as they shook hands.

Beside her, Ike was shaking his head slowly, glaring at the television. "That isn't right." He mumbled, angry that two more twelve year olds were reaped. Wisteria nodded along with him.

In District Eight, a cute boy with short clipped black hair and big brown eyes was reaped and Wisteria's eyes widened when a girl leapt out of the crowd. It was his sister, judging by the resemblance, and she looked really mad. She tried to fight off the peacekeepers before she was hauled away. The boy walked up to the stage stiffly, looking ready to cry. The girl, Flora, was less memorable as she walked up the steps. You could see a few tears slipped down her cheeks if you looked carefully enough.

Up next was District Nine, where two average tributes were reaped. The girl had stick straight black hair and red lips, and she was crying if Wisteria's vision was correct. The boy was small and frail, but he didn't cry. Wisteria's heart hurt for both of them. She wondered how they were doing right now.

In District Ten, there was a feisty boy. He yanked the peacekeepers off of him as he walked up to the stage quickly. Judging by the look in his eyes, he was angry about being reaped. The girl looked angry as well, but she was still very pretty. She had straight blonde hair with blue eyes and peachy skin.

In District Eleven, the girl walked up to stage, looking completely shocked. The escort complemented her tan skin, then moved onto the boys. A small twelve year boy with light brown skin and black hair was reaped. Wisteria heard Ike growl under his breath at this.

And lastly, there was District Twelve. The boy physically fought the peacekeepers and cussed out the escort, which made Ike laugh in a you go! sort of way. The girl, on the other hand, was much more tame when being walked up to the stage. She had long blonde hair and brown eyes. District Twelve had never had a victor. Wisteria quietly wondered if this year they would.

Then, District Twelve faded away and Cosmo Lavish reappeared onto the screen, grinning.

"And that is it! Panem, these are your tributes for the Nineteenth Annual Hunger Games! Please tune in tomorrow for updates and the chariot rides!" Cosmo boomed. And with that the screen on the television went black and it was over.

Wisteria's insides writhed in fear. There were some really tough looking guys this time around.

* * *

**District Seven**

As the reapings in the television ended, Aspen turned towards Petunia.

"Do you want to be allies?" He grinned.

Petunia looked at him strangely, being taken off guard by his sudden question. "I-I don't know." She answered honestly.

Aspen's smile dropped. "What do you mean 'I don't know'?" He asked, feeling hurt.

Petunia eyed him carefully. "I mean, this is all so sudden, I hadn't even thought about allies yet."

Aspen nodded, feeling a bit better. He needed Petunia on his side though, he knew he would be dead without an ally. He had vowed to himself the minute that he saw her that he would protect her and he wanted to stick to his word.

"Let me put it this way." Aspen began with a sigh. "We are two of the youngest competitors in this year's games and we will be at a deadly disadvantage if we are to go solo. I really think it's the smartest decision to ally up, I mean, we could really help each other out." He explained.

Petunia took a minute before replying. She seemed to be weighing out the pros and cons inside of her head, thinking it through. Her eyes found Aspen and she nodded. "Alright." She said, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "I'll be your ally."

Aspen's grin even wider. "Really?" He asked, his voice getting higher at the end.

Petunia nodded again, returning his smile. "Really." She echoed.

* * *

**District Eight**

Flora sat at the dinner table, cutting up her steak into little precise cubes. She just couldn't bring herself to eat anything right now. She missed her family so much, it actually hurt. Rory, on the other hand, had no problem eating all the food the capitol had provided for them. On his two plates were slices of thick juicy steak, rice and soup, bread, raspberry cheesecake, and glasses of sparkling grape juice and sodas- and this was only round one.

"Aren't you gonna eat, girl?" Calico asked gruffly. Calico Black was District Eight's one and only victor. He had won the Eighth Annual Hunger Games by being one of the only outer district killers in his games. He racked up an impressive five kills before being crowned victor. He was only twenty-nine and already a living legend in District Eight. He would be mentoring both of the tributes this year.

Flora sighed. "I'm not very hungry." That was a lie of course. She was absolutely starving, but she just couldn't bring herself to eat anything.

Calico grunted, turning towards Rory, who was busy stuffing his face. "So what about you, what are your plans for the games?" He asked.

Rory swallowed his food and smirked. "That's a secret. Let's just say that my sister gave me some really great advice." He said honestly.

Calico smirked back at him. "Your sister, huh? Wasn't she the one attacking the peacekeepers during your reaping?"

"Yep, that was Serra." Rory sighed. He was never going to live that down, he could tell. Diverting the attention off of him, he turned towards Flora. "So what are your plans for the games, Flora?" Rory asked.

Flora looked up at him with wide eyes, then shrugged and looked back down. "I don't know, find a few allies and get a few backpacks maybe. I don't really want to think about it right now." She mumbled. The only thing on her mind was her family.

"Well you better start thinking about it." Calico grunted.

Fora nodded. "Can I be excused?" She asked.

Calico shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"I'm going to bed." She mumbled, getting up.

* * *

**District Nine**

Cherry and Lyle sat on opposite sides of the train after dinner. They were both socially awkward individuals that were no good at initiating conversations with strangers. After a while, Cherry really wanted to talk to Lyle, but she didn't know what to say. Suddenly, she couldn't take it no more and just turned to him.

"Hi, I'm Cherry." She said too fast, causing Lyle to jump.

"H-hi." Lyle stuttered nervously.

Now what did she say? Did she say hi again? Did she ask about his day?

"Will you be my ally?" She asked suddenly. No, no, no! She was supposed to ease into that! She mentally face palmed before getting the courage to look Lyle in the eyes again. He was looking at her, surprised. "Please." She added.

"I-I guess so." Lyle said quietly.

Despite screaming at herself internally, Cherry managed to smile widely. She had made an ally, just like that. Perhaps she wasn't as socially inept as she thought.

"So do you want to check out the rest of the train before we have to go to bed? I think we arrive in the capitol tomorrow morning." Cherry asked, hoping to bring Lyle out of his shell as the night went on.

Lyle nodded. "Sure." He said softly.

And with that, the two District Nine tributes got up and went to the back cart to see what was in it.

* * *

**District Ten**

Haven had a plan in mind. He knew he wanted allies as soon as he thought about it and Lorelei was the perfect one. He needed her and he knew it, but right now Lorelei was in her room, changing into her pajamas.

Haven turned to the blue escort, Aurelius. "When are we supposed to be arriving in the capitol?" He asked.

"Noon time tomorrow." Aurelius replied. That gave him the rest of the night to get Lorelei on his side.

Suddenly, Lorelei's bedroom door swung open and she walked out, wearing pink silk pajamas. Her blonde hair was done into a bun on the top of her head and her blue eyes looked tired. Haven smiled as he walked over to her, holding out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Haven." He smiled as he shook her hand.

"I'm Lorelei." She sighed tiredly.

"So how are you doing?" He asked.

She sighed again. "I've been better, to be honest. Today has been a long day."

Haven nodded, agreeing. Now was his chance. "Look, I know this is forward of me, but do you want to be in my alliance?" He asked hopefully.

_Please say yes. Please say yes._

Lorelei's eyes softened. "Yeah, I actually would." She laughed breathlessly.

Haven laughed too, internally breathing a sigh of relief. "That's awesome." He smiled. "Do you want to hear my plan?" He asked her.

Lorelei nodded. "Sure."

"Well, I'm hoping to pull in at least two more tributes, and we could have one big alliance, you know? I think it's a great idea. We would have sleeping schedules, food rationing, everything." He explained. "It would really be nice to have other people to lean on, but we would split at the top eight or so."

Lorelei nodded again. "That's very well thought out, Haven. Do you want to watch a recap of the reapings to scope out the competition?" She suggested.

Haven smiled. "I was just about to suggest that actually." He laughed.

Lorelei and Haven spent the rest of the night watching reruns of the reapings on television. They even watched Cosmo Lavish's after episode of his personal opinions on the tributes. Cosmo said that Haven and Lorelei looked like they would be fighters. After the episode was over, Haven turned towards Lorelei. "I want District Nine." He said clearly. "Who do you want?" He asked her.

"District Nine." She agreed.

* * *

**District Eleven**

"So what's your story? I'm sure you haven't looked like that your whole life." Talulah asked Teddy as she burst into his room.

Teddy whipped around with wide eyes. "Wha- what are you doing in here?" He asked.

Talulah plopped onto his bed. "I wanna talk." She shrugged. "So what's up with the bruises all over you?" She asked curiously.

"My mom." Teddy mumbled.

Talulah's eyes softened. "Oh." She muttered. "I'm sorry, Teddy."

Teddy shrugged. "I guess it's alright. I don't really wanna talk about it though, if that's okay."

Talulah nodded. "Alright, so what are your plans for the games?" She asked.

Relieved that she accepted that he didn't want to speak of his mother, he thought about her next question. Honestly, Teddy had no ideas what his plans were. He hadn't even dared to think about the games yet. He had been living completely in the moment ever since this morning and now that he was being forced to think about it, he realized that he really didn't have a plan at all. He had just been winging it.

"I don't know." Teddy sighed. "I didn't even think about the games yet."

Talulah's eyes widened. "Well you better start!" She said, surprised. "Do you want to have any allies?" She asked.

Teddy shook his head automatically. "No, I'd just drag them down." He mumbled.

Talulah frowned. "I'm sure you wouldn't drag them down." She said, trying to cheer him up.

Teddy shook his head again. "I don't know, I just want to go to bed, if that's alright with you." He sighed. "Goodnight Talulah."

Talulah smiled sadly as she hopped off of Teddy's bed. "Goodnight Teddy, I'll see you tomorrow."

As Talulah left the room and turned out the lights, Teddy smiled softly to himself. He had truly been blessed to have Talulah reaped beside him. He wondered how many other tributes had a district partner as kind as she was. Perhaps his luck was changing. Closing his eyes, he succumbed into his mind and let himself fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

**District Twelve**

Sully aggressively shoved his arm through the sleeve of his silk pajama top. He had messed up his reaping and he knew it. Perhaps cussing out the escort, Marigold, on live television hadn't been the best decision, but she deserved it for being from the capitol. Sully had always been a loose cannon, but perhaps this time he had taken it too far.

Shrugging, Sully plopped down onto his bed and sighed heavily, letting all of the stress seep out of his system. He closed his eyes and thought about what the future held for him. He could be dead in a week, or he could win. Oh, how he wanted to win this thing. He could build a football field in the victor's village and he and his friends could play all day long. Plus, he wouldn't have to go to school anymore and neither would his friends or family because he would have enough money to support them all.

Realizing that his stomach was growling, Sully shook himself out of his daydream and sat up. Flinging himself out of bed, Sully opened his bedroom door and walked into the food and drink cart. It was now past midnight and all of the rooms were dimly lit. When he arrived there, he saw a small figure with long blonde hair sitting at one of the tables, looking out the windows. Sully cleared his throat to get her attention and she turned around.

"Oh, hi." She said, smiling softly. It was Adelaide, his district partner.

"Hey, what's up." Sully said as he grabbed a piece of cheesecake off of the counter. He sat down across from Adelaide and put his feet up.

"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep. How about you?" Adelaide turned and looked at him.

Sully held up his cheesecake. "I was hungry." He said through a mouthful. Adelaide nodded.

"Can I ask you something?" Adelaide suddenly asked,

Sully shrugged. "Sure."

Adelaide took a deep breath. "What do you think the games will be like?"

Sully clicked his tongue. "Scary, I guess. I want to get an ally or two though to ease the fear of it all. What about you?" Sully asked.

"I don't want allies." Adelaide shook her head. "My friend told me it's a bad idea. She told me to grow a backbone, to be aggressive in there."

Sully nodded. "I would have told you the same." He said as he finished the cheesecake. Adelaide nodded.

"Well I'm going to bed." He sighed as he put his feet back on the floor and got up.

"Goodnight." Adelaide said as he left.

"Goodnight Adelaide. See ya tomorrow." Sully replied as he shut the door.

* * *

**A/N: Hi guys! Thank you for reviewing, all four of you! Anyways, these are the train rides and I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Up next are the arrivals in the capitol/the chariot rides. Til then!**


	16. Chariot Rides

Velvet woke up gently to the feeling of warm sunlight on her skin. She stretched luxuriously as the purple silk sleeve of her pajamas slid up her arm. As she realized where she was, a smile burst across her face. Life as a tribute was amazing so far and they hadn't even gotten to the capitol yet. She couldn't wait to arrive there today.

Velvet took a long, hot shower in the high tech bathroom. She pressed all sorts of buttons and was instantly lathered with citrusy foams and vanilla shampoos and conditioners. She was amazed at how advanced even the trains were. She sloughed the foams of of herself with a heavy bristled brush and rinsed off. As she stepped out of the shower, she dried off and combed through her hair.

As her hair dried, she walked over to the closet and tried to decide on an outfit. There were so many clothes that she just could pick one. Finally, she settled on a frilly lavender purple tunic and a tight pair of black leggings. She went back to the bathroom and applied her makeup flawlessly before looking at herself in the mirror. She looked absolutely perfect. Her mascara and eyeshadow accentuated her big brown eyes and her pink lipgloss made her lips pop. After she styled her hair into loose curls, she stepped out of her room and went to eat breakfast.

She glided down the hallway into the lounge, where the smell of bacon and breakfast floated through the air. With an elated smile, she burst into the room. Kramer was already at the breakfast table, looking bored. Velvet didn't mind if he was a bit off, it was nice to have some eye candy around her before the games. She filled up a plate of sugared fruits and breakfast pastries and sat down across from Kramer.

This time it was her who spoke first. "How did you sleep last night?" She asked, still smiling.

Kramer focused his hazel eyes on her. "Just fine, how about you." He asked with fake politeness.

"Wonderfully." She said as she popped a danish into her mouth.

Velvet looked past Kramer and at the escort, Arietty. "When should we be arriving in the capitol?" She asked.

Arietty looked at her gem encrusted watch. "Any minute now. It's ten o'clock now and we were scheduled to arrive in the morning, so..." Arietty replied.

Velvet clapped her hands. "Yay, I can't wait to get there!" She squealed.

After ten more minutes, Arietty burst back into the room, smiling crazily. "We're here!" She sang happily. Velvet shot out of her seat and ran to the window.

"Woah." She breathed, taken aback. The capitol was absolutely stunning. Skyscrapers jutted into the clouds from every direction and pristine buildings lined the city. Everything was shiny and glamorous, even the little houses that dotted the outskirts of the capitol. If you looked closely enough, you could see little colorful people moving slowly though the streets. These, of course, were the residents, hurrying to get to the train station so they could see the tributes for themselves.

"Kramer, come see!" Velvet squealed, waving him towards the window. He simply shook his head.

Velvet shrugged, looking back out the window. "This is incredible." She whispered to herself.

Kramer rolled his eyes at her behind her back. He hated this girl.

* * *

As the train arrived into the station, Aspen and Petunia were waving out the window like crazy. The capitol was absolutely stunning, Aspen had never seen anything like it. The boy hadn't stopped smiling since he woke up this morning. He was the first one awake on the whole train, and instinctively ran to Petunia's bed to wake her up, but she wouldn't budge. It was only when he started jumping on her bed did she open her eyes.

Now that they were finally here, it all felt so real and so... tangible, like he could actually win.

As they pulled into the train station, Aspen and Petunia cheered. Petunia had been very upset at the beginning of the train ride, but a few hours around Aspen had changed her attitude. He was so positive all the time, it was hard not to smile when she was with him. She had realized that just because they were twelve years old didn't mean they couldn't win. She had an ally and a slightly new outlook on the games. She felt better about this than ever.

"Petunia, we're really here!" Aspen cried as the train came to a halt. Petunia's breath hitched as the train stopped moving and the doors opened. "Come on." She smiled as she walked towards the door. The two children burst out the door and were immediately bombarded with cheers and maniacal screams of excitement. The capitol people were crazy and Aspen couldn't help but like it. No one had ever given him that kind of attention before.

"Petunia, look!" Aspen called to his new friend over the noise as he pointed to several banners with their faces on it. "That's us!" He cried. Several clumps of people in the crowd were holding up posters and banners with encouraging words on them and pictures of Petunia's and Aspen's profile shots on them. Aspen couldn't believe it. He actually had _fans._

He blew kisses to the people and waved as he stepped off of the train. His fans screamed even louder until they were purple in the face. As he and Petunia walked down the red carpet that was laid out before them, an interviewer jutted a microphone into Aspen's face from behind the metal barred fence.

"Mr. Buckley, how does it feel to be a tribute?" The man boomed.

Aspen grinned. "It's wonderful," he called into the microphone over the noise. "It's been great so far. Me and Petunia are having the time of our lives." He smiled as he winked into the camera.

The man chucked. "Thank you, Aspen!" He boomed even louder.

"No problem." Aspen smiled as he and Petunia walked towards the entrance doors.

Aspen felt like a real celebrity as he and Petunia waved to the crowd and posed for the cameras. There was no doubt in his mind that those pictures of him would be in upcoming magazines and those interviews he gave would be on television soon. He couldn't believe how well the capitol was treating him.

"Tributes, please wrap up any interviews or conversations and make your way into the remake center." A masculine voice said over the loud speaker.

Aspen elbowed Petunia. "Come on!" He smiled as they began to walk inside. When they got inside, they were instantly blasted with the cold air conditioning of the remake center. The whole place was clean, cold, and clinical. The walls and ceilings were a glossy stark white color and elevator music played softly in the distance. The doors closed behind the two last tributes to enter, the boy and girl from District Twelve, and the noise was completely sealed out.

Aspen looked around the place with wide eyes until he felt a tap on his shoulder. It couldn't be Petunia because his hand was intertwined with her own. He whirled around and saw a colorful woman standing before him. Her hair was dyed a neon lime green color and she wore a electric blue bodysuit with bright orange high heels that were at least six inches tall.

"You are Aspen, right?" She piped in an odd accent.

"Y-yes?" Aspen asked, confused.

The bright woman clasped her hands together. "Oh goodie! Hello Aspen, I am your stylist, Gemini. Oh my gosh, you are even more adorable in person!" She squealed as she pinched his cheek with one of her flawless porcelain colored hands.

"Thank you." Aspen smiled. "This is my friend, Petunia." He introduced the two girls. Petunia waved shyly and the escort complimented her as well.

"Would you like to follow me? We are ready to make you over now." Gemini smiled as she waved him towards a station in the middle of the room.

"Sure!" Aspen smiled happily. "See you later Petunia." He waved goodbye.

Petunia waved back and he followed Gemini to his makeover room.

* * *

"Your hair is so long and pretty, Adelaide. I wish I had hair like yours." Adelaide's stylist, Mimosa, cooed as she ran her pink fingers through her blonde hair. Mimosa was the oddest looking person Adelaide had ever seen in her life. Her entire body had been dyed fuchsia and little diamonds and crystals were dotted under her eyes and cheekbones and along her jawline. She wore a light pink bodysuit with tall white high heels. Her hair was a pretty cotton candy pink that was swirled on top of her head in curls.

"What would you think if we dyed it a bit lighter blonde? It would _really_ bring out those big brown eyes." Mimosa asked in her strange capitol accent.

Adelaide's stomach clenched at the word dye. _Be aggressive_, she remembered. "No." She stated clearly.

Mimosa's eyes widened. "Honey, I'm sorry but I do hope you know that it is being dyed with or without your consent. As the stylist, it is out responsibility to make you look your best. I'm sorry, it is that way."

Adelaide's tough exterior cracked a bit. "But- but I don't want to dye it." She stuttered.

Mimosa smiled slightly. "I promise, it will look great. I won't change it that much." She said as she patted the chair next to the high tech faucet. "Come sit, please."

Adelaide obeyed obstinately. "This better not turn out ugly." She mumbled as she laid down on the reclining chair and put her feet up.

Mimosa gasped. "You're shoes are so _dirty_!" She cried.

"Yeah, well I like my shoes dirty." Adelaide relied back haughtily.

Mimosa frowned. This girl was really trying hard to be rude. She wondered why.

"Lean back, please." Mimosa said as she pulled a few of bottles and vials out of the cabinet and placed them next to the faucet. "First we must clean your hair."

Adelaide leaned back and rested her head in the cushioned crook of the faucet. Mimosa turned on the faucet and warm water poured through Adelaide's long hair, soaking it. She closed her eyes as the stylist lathered some sweet smelling liquid onto her head and thought of May. She knew she hadn't done a very good job of being aggressive so far and deep inside she felt sorry. She wanted to be true to her friend but she didn't see any point in being mean towards her stylist. After all, she wouldn't be going into the games with her, so why was she being so mean? Adelaide decided to stop putting on an act around the stylist and to only be cold towards the other tributes. Everyone except Sully, that is.

After a few more hours of cleansing, dyeing, blowdrying, waxing, and exfoliating, Adelaide was finally ready. They had put creams and solutions all over her earlier. Some of them hurt, but it was a cleansing pain. They had her clothed in a paper thin hospital gown and had taken her muddy shoes away.

"Ta-da!" Mimosa cried as she spun Adelaide towards the mirror. Adelaide looked at the girl in the mirror and blinked. That wasn't her, was it? The girl in front of her had stick straight, glossy blonde hair- more boldly blonde than Adelaide remembered, a hairless and clean body, and smelled like roses.

"Wow." Adelaide whispered as she dared to touch her hair. It was so smooth and straight, she had never looked this good. "This actually looks great." She smiled.

Mimosa smiled too. "I'm glad you decided to give up you're little tough girl act." She chirped.

Adelaide turned red. How did she know.

* * *

Lithium smirked at herself in the mirror, examining her chariot outfit. This year District Three wore shiny latex bodysuits that zipped in the back from the neck to the ankles. Lithium's bodysuit was pink, while Cain's was light blue. On their chests were little control panels, making them look like robots. They also wore slick white boots to top it off.

Lithium flicked her loosely curled blonde hair over her shoulder and turned around. "It looks great, thanks." She complimented her stylist, Heaven.

"Oh, I'm glad you like it." Heaven clapped, making her golden hair bounce on the top of her head.

Lithium looked past her and out the door at Griffin, the escort. Pretending she didn't see him, she looked back at Heaven. "Hey, have you seen Griffin anywhere?" She asked innocently. Heaven looked out the door, whipping her head from side to side until her eyes landed on him.

"Oh Griffin, Come look at your tribute!" Heaven called when she saw him, waving him into their open doored room. _What a ditz_, Lithium thought with a snort. Griffin strolled over and entered the room. Heaven began babbling about how she came up with the idea and Griffin looked at Lithium's outfit.

"It's quite nice, Heaven." Griffin smiled politely as Lithium twirled around, landing on her heel. As she steadied her feet, she looked into Griffin's eyes and smiled sinisterly. Griffin's eyes grew wide and he took a sharp breath. Lithium wanted to laugh. Was he scared of her?

Suddenly, everything within her became different. Her blood was pumping faster and her heart was beating heavier. She knew her eyes must have grown dark, lust and desire clouding her judgement. She knew she was about to lose control of herself. Lithium felt as if she might explode any second.

Griffin eyed her carefully. "Um, Heaven?" He said slowly.

"Yes?" Heaven answered cluelessly.

"Can you give us a moment?" He asked slowly.

Heaven turned on her heel. "No problem." She chirped as she exited the room.

Griffin closed the door and stood against one of the walls carefully. He evaluated Lithium with wary eyes before speaking. "So what is this?" He asked, sending a rush through Lithium's body, chilling her spine.

"What's what?" She purred, feigning innocence.

Griffin pointed at her. "_This_." He said, moving his hand around. "You've been eyeing me like I'm a piece if meat lately. I can tell that there's something off with you and I want to know what it is." He demanded.

Lithium raised her eyebrows, smiling. "Meat? I've never seen such passion explode from you, Griffin. You know, that's very attractive." She laughed, stepping towards him.

"Stop." He said strongly. Lithium stopped moving towards him.

"What?" She asked with wide eyes. "Scared?"

Griffin shook his head. "Stay away from me." He said clearly. "There's something wrong with you and I want nothing to do with it."

Lithium smiled darkly. "I just _love_ it when they push me away. It makes the game much more fun."

Griffin narrowed his eyes at her. "They?"

Lithium nodded. "Yes, they. The other ones. But of course, they don't matter anymore."

A look of pure fear crossed Griffin's face, turning him white as a sheet. "What- what did you do to them?" He asked softly. "Why were you in jail?"

Lithium smiled almost evilly, not responding.

* * *

As the elevator doors slid open, Jude strode out with his head held high. Knives was close behind him as they walked. He looked around, impressed. Around him was a black marble floored backstage area. Twelve chariots were lined in single file through the center of the room, each with two absolutely beautiful black horses in front of them. Everything around him was so advanced and high tech, it actually met his standards.

Almost all the chariots had tributes idling in front of them. The only people that seemed to be missing were the girl from Three and the boy from One. Eyes dancing from one tribute to another, Jude examined the competition. There were some strong looking competitors this year, but they would all be his allies. Glancing at the pair from Four, he was actually impressed that they managed to send out two strong looking tributes this year. The boy, Raegan caught his gaze and smirked devilishly.

"Should we go over and introduce ourselves?" Knives asked.

"No." Jude said strongly. "We're going to wait for District One to come before we do anything." He said turning to their chariot. There was only the girl, Velvet, standing there, not the boy. Jude wondered where he was.

After ten more minutes of idle chitchat, Jude decided that the boy was probably not coming. He turned to Velvet, one chariot down for him and motioned her over. He also turned to District Four and waved them over as well. All three of them walked over to District Two's chariot, ready to form their alliance.

"Where's your district partner, One?" Jude called as she walked over.

Velvet smirked. "My name is Velvet actually, and I have no idea where he is."

Jude frowned. "Well he'd better get here soon."

He turned to see Marina and Raegan, the District Four tributes walking over as well.

"Aren't you a babe." Raegan smiled at Velvet as he walked over, holding out his hand. "I'm Raegan." He said seductively.

She took his hand and shook it delicately. "Hi, I'm Velvet, and you'll be dead in a month." She smiled nonchalantly. Knives almost choked on the glass of punch she was drinking.

Raegan smiled too. "Aren't you the charmer." He said sarcastically. Velvet smiled back innocently and batted her eyelashes at him.

Jude looked at them both with disgust and shook his head. "Excuse me, but we need to scope out the competition." He said stiffly.

* * *

Cherry tried to make idle conversation with Lyle, but it was futile. She tried to crack jokes, and sometimes he smiled, but most of the time he just nodded. Turning her head, she examined the rest of the tributes. She had noticed the pair from Ten staring at her and nodding to each other. She wondered what they were looking at? Did she have something on her?

Cherry stepped out of the chariot and began to stroke the horse's black mane. She saw the careers walking from chariot to chariot, examining this years crop if tributes critically, sometimes laughing. When they passed her and Lyle, they looked for only a split second, then went onto District Ten..

"All tributes to your chariots. All tributes to your chariots." A flat, monotone voice said over the loud speaker.

Cherry stopped petting the horse and hopped into the chariot as the remaining stragglers hurried into their chariots as well. A few rows ahead, the careers began to break apart, going back to their sections. The boy from One was still missing though. Cherry wondered where he was.

Just then, the elevator door burst open and the boy from One sprinted through the room, leaping onto the chariot for his district. With a jolt, District One's chariot began to move forward and through the black curtain. On the large flat screen television backstage, Cherry could see them moving through the stadium, the cameras close up on their faces.

District One looked royal. Kramer was dressed in a glossy fur cloak and a golden crown encrusted with gems, and Velvet was dressed in a curve hugging, golden dress that sparkled like a million tiny lights, a fur shawl, and had a ruby encrusted crown resting on her head as well. They were both dripping in precious, shimmering jewels.

Cherry looked at them in awe. Velvet was a typical District One bombshell blonde, but Kramer, he looked dangerous in a way. Perhaps it was the way he wouldn't even look at the crowd and just glared ahead. Perhaps it was that he had such an intimidating glint in his eye. Or maybe it was because he was flat out handsome.

District One got an insane amount of applause.

Up next was District Two, who made the capitol get even louder. The boy, Jude, glared ahead and refused to even look at the crowd, like they were beneath him. His arms were crossed defiantly and he had a look of power in his eyes that made Cherry's insides freeze. At first, his district partner only smiled shyly at the crowd, but as their chariot moved further on, she began to wave at the crowd and smile widely, loving the applause. They were both dressed in silver armor that reflected the light, causing them to shine. Knives wore a short metal skirt that made her outfit a bit more feminine.

Next was District Three. The girl, who scared Cherry so much during her reaping, looked different. All of her cuts and scars were gone. She had smooth peachy skin, not a blemish or scratch in sight. Her blue eyes glittered brightly as she waved to the crowd, excitement radiating off of her. She looked almost... sweet. The boy, however, looked absolutely terrified as the chariot rolled down the isle. He stood there stiffly, arms plastered by his sides.

After District Three, District Four burst through the curtain and into the capitol spotlight. Any lack of cheering for Three was quickly regained as Raegan and Marina entered the capitol's view. The steady roar of applause continued as Raegan winked at the crowd and Marina waved modestly.

Surprisingly, District Five got an amazing amount of applause too. Apparently Freddie and Salome's reapings got them pretty high on the capitol's ranking list. Freddie waved to the crowd slowly, his eyes far away, and Salome smiled happily and blew kisses to the capitol, adoring the attention.

Up next was District Six. The tall boy with light blonde hair, Ike, smiled, laughed, and made funny faces to the crowd, while the girl, Wisteria stood their stoically, looking like she wanted to shrink away from the noise. She was not enjoying the loud cheering that was given to her.

District Seven was one of the districts to get a deafening amount of applause as well. They were two of the capitol's favorites, being so young and lively. The capitol was at their feet as they rolled by. Aspen jumped up and down and waved to the capitol, feeding off of their energy. Petunia smiled and waved a little bit, but wasn't nearly as energetic as Aspen.

_We're up next_, Cherry thought as District Eight's chariot moved through the curtain. She watched the television screen nervously as the boy and girl from Eight waved to the crowd and smiled.

"Next chariot in three, two, one." A man next to the curtain said into a walkie talkie.

Suddenly, their chariot lurched forward and slipped through the black curtains. When she opened her eyes, she was instantly bombarded with color. It was everywhere. Bright pinks, oranges, blues, greens, yellows... And not to mention the noise. It was deafening, the way the citizens screamed and cheered for Lyle and Cherry. They all looked truly mad, their faces contoured in pure excitement and enthusiasm.

The capitolites screamed wildly as Cherry began to raise her hand. She couldn't help herself as she began to wave to the crowd. This only made them grow louder and more crazy. Cherry blew a kiss to one boy and thought she saw him faint as their chariot rolled by. She began to laugh and smile too. This was actually _fun_. Never in a million years did she think she would be enjoying all this attention.

As their chariot came to a stop under President Snow, Cherry examined the last three chariots. District Ten had already rolled out and were nearly done with their ride of fame. She caught the boy's eye and he smiled at her kindly and waved. Cherry waved back and broke eye contact.

Up next was District Eleven, who Cherry couldn't see very well from a distance, but she noticed that the crowd got much quieter for them and District Twelve. It was probably because they rarely got victors. In fact, District Twelve still had yet to have a victor. Looking at the boy and girl from Twelve as they rolled out, she wondered if they would win this year. They boy, Sully, looked capable, and the girl looked just as tough.

Finally, the chariots completed their procession and pulled to a halt in front of President Coriolanus Snow himself. He scanned the tributes quickly before speaking into the microphone.

"Thank you, thank you. Tributes, we welcome you. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor." He said as he raised his glass to them. As he swallowed, he looked back down at the tributes hungrily. Cherry's insides squirmed as they made eye contact.

The games were about the begin.

* * *

**A/N: So holy shit, you guys. I just went to see Divergent today and it FANTASTIC! The whole movie and concept was so interesting and action packed, i loved it... Now i just have to read the books lmao. Anyways, i hope you liked this chapter and i want to kiss Theo James. Sorry, I can't stop fangirling. Training Day One is up next! Til then :)**


	17. Training Day One

Knives woke to the sound of rapid knocking on her door.

"Up, up up!" A high pitched squeal came from behind the door. Knives groaned and threw her pillow at the door.

"I'm up." Knives growled as she flopped over in her bed. Her sweaty sheets were tangled around her legs and her eyes burned from an inadequate amount of sleep. Trying to motivate herself out of bed, she wound up falling onto the floor and lying there like a dead fish.

The knocking on her door began again. _Tap, tap tap_. "Knives, training starts soon!"_ Tap tap, tap_. "Knives, get up!" Gem, the escort, called.

Finally, Gem got sick of knocking and just swung open the door. "Knives, it's nine o'clock, you have to be in the training center at ten and you're still not out of bed- hey where are you?" Gem realized she wasn't in her bed.

"Get out." Knives mumbled from the floor. Gem gasped, mouth agape as she saw Knives, tangled in her blankets on the floor.

"Oh my god! Why are you on the floor? Get up!" She squealed, making Knives want to hit her.

Knives stirred, getting up slowly and cracking her stiff limbs. "I'm up, I'm up." She slurred tiredly.

"Be in the lounge in half an hour." Gem said as she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

Knives had half a mind to just go back to sleep, but she decided against it. Standing up, she walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She rather enjoyed the capitol if she was being quite honest. It was very luxurious and high tech, but she missed home more than anything. She wondered how her brother, Blades, was holding up.

She stepped into the shower and pushed several buttons, which dispensed perfect amounts of minty shampoo into her hands. Knives showered quickly and stepped out. She simply pushed a button on the side of the wall that turned on the hair dryer. Within ten minutes, her wet hair had been transformed into a soft, dark, glossy curtain. Knives twisted her hair into a side braid and stepped out of the bathroom.

She looked at the training uniform that had been laid out on the plush green ottoman. The clothes were black with a little white number two stitched on the shoulder. She slipped on the tight, legging-like pants and pulled the shirt over her head. When she put of her socks and shoes, she walked out of her bedroom and down the hallways.

By the time Knives had reached the lounge, Jude was gone. He had decided to go down early in order to follow his schedule he had made up during the train ride. Grabbing a pastry off of the table, she rushed out the door too and went down to the training center.

* * *

As the last of the tributes filed into the training center, the head trainer waved them over so that she could give her brief instructions.

Jude wasn't interested in her speech though, he just wanted to wind his hands around those hooked knives already. He stood in the middle of the circle, a smirk on his lips. For the first time since entering the capitol, he felt in his element. Training? He did this every day.

After what felt like a year, the head trainer finally finished her speech and Jude immediately broke apart from the group and went directly to the knives station. His district partner was close behind, knives being her specialty too.

"Hooked knives are my favorite." He smiled to his district partner as he held one up. "It slits throats much easier." He explained as he dragged it across the throat and belly of a stark white dummy. Blue liquid began to drip from the dummy's wounds immediately.

Knives smiled back, glad to see Jude so happy. This was the first she had seen him smile since she met him.

Suddenly, there were two more figures standing next to Knives and Jude. Jude looked up to see Raegan and Marina from District Four.

"Hey, nice to see you guys again." Raegan smirked as he eyed the two District Two tributes hungrily.

Jude's posture grew stiff. "It's nice to see you again as well."

Knives looked around, feeling nervous. She could tell that Jude wasn't particularly fond of Raegan. Suddenly, she noticed that they were missing two members of their alliance. District One wasn't with them. She quickly scanned the large room, looking for Kramer and Velvet. Her eyes landed on Kramer, but not Velvet. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Velvet at all during the head trainer's speech.

"Hey guys, we forgot to get Kramer." Knives spoke up as she nodded her head towards him at the knot tying station.

Jude's eyes lit up, looking in his direction. "Well, let's go get him then." He suggested, eager to meet the scarlet haired boy for the first time.

The four careers made their way towards the station Kramer was at. Even if he wasn't a volunteer, Kramer still looked vicious and they would need him on their side. As they approached, Kramer looked up at them and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey." Raegan introduced himself, holding his hand out to him. He was excited to meet his new ally. Kramer didn't accept his handshake, he just looked at him critically.

Jude cleared his throat. "We're here to invite you into the career alliance. The spot is yours if you want it." He said clearly.

"I'd rather die, but thanks." Kramer replied casually, looking back down at his knot.

Jude was seized with shock, his body growing stiff. A look of utter disbelief crossed his face. "Wh-what was that?" Jude said, feeling uptight.

"You heard me. I'm not working with you careers." Kramer replied with just as much fire, his eyes narrowed.

All four careers' mouths fell open, one at a time. How was he going to reject them like that? Careers didn't get rejected by anyone.

"Are you sure about your decision?" Jude growled dangerously, eyes focused in on Kramer.

Kramer shrugged. "Pretty sure." He said nonchalantly.

Jude growled again under his breath. "I'll see you in the arena then, One." He said in a low voice. Turning on his heel, he and the rest of the careers walked back to the knives station, feeling both shocked and angry.

"See you there." Kramer said under his breath, a devious smile stretching across his face.

As the four careers walked back to the knives station, Marina's eyes were wide. "I can't believe he said no." She mumbled.

Jude shook his head furiously and turned to her. "No, it's his choice. He just better be careful when the games get here because I'm coming for him. No one makes a fool out of me like that and gets away with it."

Suddenly, the metal doors swung open Velvet burst into the room, out of breath. Her cheeks were red and her blonde hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail. Upon seeing the careers, she jogged across the room and joined them at the knives station. "Sorry I'm late! I slept in." She huffed, out of breath. "I got here as fast as I could." She explained.

Marina smiled at her. "We're glad you made it." She said nicely.

Velvet smiled back at her, but her smile instantly dropped when she noticed that Kramer wasn't with them. Looking around, she found him at the knots station and frowned. "What's Kramer doing over there?" She asked, confused.

"Oh he-" Knives began, but was interrupted by Velvet.

"Hey Kramer, hey!" She called to her district partner. Kramer's hazel eyes flickered across the room towards the group of careers. "Come on!" Velvet called, signaling him over. Kramer simply shook his head and returned to his station.

"Don't bother. We already talked to him, he's not joining." Knives explained with a shrug.

"Yeah and he's mine when we get into the arena." Jude spat as he nailed a dummy in the heart with one of his hooked knives.

Velvet shook her head. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Jude."

Jude turned to her. "And why is that?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"He's dangerous, that boy has killed before and he's a bit... a bit crazy." Velvet explained briefly. "I wouldn't mess with him if I were you, unless it was absolutely necessary."

Jude shrugged, smirking. "We'll see."

Talulah watched from a distance as the boy from One rejected the careers. _That was definitely a first_, she thought to herself as she observed them. The boy from Two looked extremely angry, and even with a frown on his face, he was still unbelievably handsome. He was built like a creature of dreams, his black hair and grey eyes shining like the insides of one thousand tiny underworld demons.

Last night, Talulah had decided to go into the games without any allies. If Teddy could do it, then so could she. She had thought about allies, she really had, but the risk of someone stabbing you in the back while you sleep was enough to scare her out of that one. Her plan for training was to practice as much as she could. She didn't know very much about knot tying, so she decided to begin there after the boy from One finally left that station.

On the other side of the training center, Rory was scoping out possible allies, just like Serra had told him to. Right now his top two picks were the boy from Six and the boy from Twelve. As Rory was practicing lighting a fire, he saw the boy from Twelve walking towards the rope climbing station and decided on him.

Rory got up, took a deep breath, and walked over to where Sully was. Currently, Sully was climbing up one of the ropes, hoping to get to the top.

"Hi." Rory called up to him.

Sully whipped his head around as he gripped the ropes. "Hey." Sully called back, returning back to his rope climbing. When Sully finally fell down, Rory gasped and ran over to help him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Rory asked, kneeling down by Sully, a look of concern etched on his face.

Sully nodded. "I'm just fine. But um, can I ask why you're helping me?" He asked, confused.

Rory took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing_, he thought. "I- uh, I wanted to know if you'd be by ally." He asked cautiously.

Sully looked at him strangely, then he smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." He nodded.

Rory smiled too, relief flooding his system. "Awesome." He smiled. "That's awesome."

Meanwhile, in the plant identification station, Haven and Lorelei were reading up on some plants, quizzing each other on them.

"Alright, let's see if you can get this one right." Haven said, looking at the answers guide. "What are the most poisonous berries in the world?"

Lorelei, scrunched up up her nose, thinking. "Umm... Poison Ivy?" She asked, unsure.

Haven face palmed. "Poison Ivy aren't even berries, Lorelei." He sighed.

Suddenly, they saw two figures walk by them. Haven turned to look and his eyes lit up when he saw it was the pair from District Nine, Cherry and Lyle. Haven had been keeping an eye on them during training and planned to join forces with them before the next three days were over.

Lorelei saw him looking at them and followed his gaze. "Do you want to talk to them now?" She asked.

Haven shook his head. "No, not yet." He said. "Let's wait until tomorrow. Let's just observe them today." He said as he moved his gaze back to the book

Lorelei just shrugged, going along with his plan.

On the other side of the room, near the camouflage station, Cain was contending himself with swirling the different paints together and drawing pictures on a large mural. He found comfort in this, whether it was mixing the paints or just the idea of creating something, it calmed him.

Cain had felt rigid ever since he was reaped. Sure, back at home there were bullies, but at least he wasn't fighting for his life back there. This was the most stressful thing to ever happen to him. When he painted, though, it was like he was taken to another place.

Cain looked over occasionally to see the two twelve year olds from Seven looking at his artwork and they even complimented him in it sometimes. Cain instantly turned red and looked away.

At the fire starting station, Flora was working hard to try to start a fire, but she was no good at it. It was useless. With a frustrated sigh, she set the sticks down and frowned.

Suddenly there were hands reaching for her sticks. "Here, let me show you how to do it." A female's voice said. Flora lifted her head up to see the girl from Five working with her sticks. She was twisting them, grinding them against a rock. When there was finally a spark, she blew on them gently, starting a fire.

Flora gasped. "How did you do that?" She asked, amazed.

The girl shrugged and wore a smug smile. "Nothing to it, just do what I did and you'll get it in no time." She said, holding out her hand. "I'm Salome." She smiled.

Flora took her hand and shook it. "I'm Flora." She smiled back.

Salome looked at her carefully. "Alright, so I didn't actually come over her to build a fire." She admitted.

Flora looked at her, confused. "Then why did you come?" She asked.

Salome shrugged. "I wanted to know if you'd want to be my ally." She said plainly.

Flora was taken aback. Never, ever did she think that someone would want her as an ally. She was so weak, so fragile... Maybe if someone wanted her then maybe this whole thing wasn't so hopeless after all.

Flora smiled gratefully. "I'd love to be your ally." She said.

Salome smiled back. "Great."

By the monkey bars course, Ike had spent nearly twenty minutes trying to make it all the way across. He had almost made it once, but he just couldn't seem to make it all the way. As he continued to fall on the floor halfway there, several bruises were beginning to form on his knees and elbows from the impact of hitting the floor

With a frown, Ike gave up on the monkey bars course and moved onto the edible plants station. He walked over and picked up what he thought was a root. Just then, there was a tap on his arm.

"You don't want to eat that." A child's voice said from behind him in a sing song voice. He turned around to find his district partner, Wisteria, standing there with a smirk. "That one is poisonous." She said as she took it out of his hands. She picked up a similar looking one with green roots. "Try this one, this is edible." She said, handing it to him.

Ike took a bite out of it and smiled. "Thanks." He said. "You sure know a lot about plants, how come?" He asked. They lived in District Six, a place where not many plants grew.

Wisteria shrugged. "My parents own a bakery. It's my job to get certain plants and berries out of the garden to help them make the breads and pastries." She explained.

"Interesting." Ike smiled again. "Well anyways, thanks for the help." He thanked her.

Wisteria smiled. "Don't mention it."

Meanwhile, Sully and Rory had spent nearly an hour telling each other about themselves. Rory had told him all about his family's flower shop and his sister's wild antics, and Sully had told him about his friends back home and all the sports he loved to play.

"Is there anything else interesting I should know about you?" Sully asked.

"Um, I don't know. I like to read comic books about zombies and stuff, if that's interesting." Rory shrugged.

Sully grinned and shook his head. "No, not really." He laughed.

Rory laughed too, his smile crinkling up his eyes. When you looked at Rory's face, you'd think his eyes would be brown, but they weren't. When looked at closely, you'd see that they weren't brown, but a very dark blue

The boys continued to talk, but didn't realize that they were being watched by Lithium's narrowed eyes.

* * *

**A/N: guys I'm still fangirling about the Divergent movie. I've started reading the book and i really like that m83 song off of the soundtrack. If you haven't seen the movie, then go see it. It was so good that I want to see it again, for real. Anyways, this was the first day of training! I'm happy that the characters are starting to flesh out and i hope certain ones are starting to scare you (evil laugh).. Oh and I have some questions!**

**1\. What is your favorite alliance so far?**

**2\. What do you think of Kramer rejecting the careers?**

**3\. Who are your top 3 favorite tributes so far?**


	18. Training Day Two

On the second day of training, the careers were still hogging the weapons.

Currently, Velvet and Raegan were testing out the spears station, having a conversation as they threw the weapons into the targets, hitting the bullseye almost every time.

Raegan turned towards Velvet. "You know, I've been thinking..." Raegan began.

Velvet raised an eyebrow as she threw another spear. "Hmm? About what?" She asked.

Raegan stopped throwing his spears. "What do you think of Knives?" He asked, his voice quiet, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear.

Velvet shrugged as she hit the target again. "I don't know, why?" She said as she flickered her gaze towards him and then back to the spear in her hands.

Raegan smirked. "She seems a bit young for a volunteer, don't you think? I mean, sixteen, come on. There had to be someone better than her, hadn't there? She's from District Two." Raegan questioned, his brown eyes focused on Velvet. "How do we know she's any good?"

The truth was, Raegan had been watching Knives right from the jump, and he hadn't seen her do anything impressive so far. Raegan's intentions were to get Knives out of the alliance. To him, the careers weren't about numbers, they were about strength, and Knives wasn't strong at all. It only seemed logical to get Velvet on his side first, since Jude would be the toughest to persuade. Marina would go along with anything Raegan said because she was weak, so he didn't even need to worry about her.

Velvet shrugged again. "I guess if we want to see if she's any good, then we should test her." Velvet said as her eyes met Raegan's.

Raegan smirked.

"Group meeting." He called to the other three careers.

Jude and Knives both looked up from their station with wide eyes. Jude's eyes immediately narrowed as he saw who was calling the meeting. As his gaze fell on Raegan, he pursed his lips into a thin white line. It was clear that he wasn't too fond of the District Four boy.

Marina, on the other hand, set down her trident and jogged over with a smile. "What's up?" She asked.

Velvet smiled. "Let's wait for the other two." She said. Marina nodded, turning her head towards Jude and Knives, who were walking over. Jude's eyes were narrowed suspiciously as he strided over to the others. Knives, on the other hand, was wide-eyed and nervous, almost as if she knew what was coming.

As they approached, Raegan opened his mouth. "Knives I have a question. Who chose you to volunteer?" He asked curiously.

Knives' face heated up and her posture went rigid. This meeting was about her after all. "I-I did." She stuttered, feeling embarrassed.

"You mean you weren't chosen by the academy like the rest of us were?" Raegan asked with an eyebrow raised. "How is that possible?"

"Th-the female volunteer, she broke her leg and the spot was open, so I took it." Knives said, her face growing hot and red. Raegan was right, she wasn't a chosen volunteer like the rest of them. She was beginning to feel inferior.

"What was that?" Raegan asked with an edge to his voice. "You just took the spot?"

"What's the big deal, Raegan?" Jude burst in, defending her. "Who even cares how she got here? Bottom line is she's here and that's that." He said, challenging the District Four boy.

"Who even cares?" Raegan repeated. "She's a bit young, don't you think? And she could suck for all we know."

"Yeah Knives, you are pretty young, how do we know you're even any good?" Velvet interrupted.

"She probably isn't." Raegan muttered, causing Velvet to laugh out loud.

Jude frowned. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was bullying, and Raegan was the epitome of a bully. He knew what his intentions were, but he asked anyway. "What are you proposing?" Jude asked in a low voice, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Raegan's signature haughty smirk crossed his face. "A challenge." He stated clearly. "If Knives doesn't get at least one kill in the bloodbath, she's out. Deal?" He turned to Velvet.

"Deal." Velvet nodded.

"Marina?" Raegan raised an eyebrow.

Marina nodded slowly, looking at the ground.

"Jude, what about you?" Raegan asked.

Jude smirked. "You'll be disappointed then, Raegan. Knives can rack up more kills than you ever could." He said protectively.

Raegan smirked too. "We'll just see, won't we?" He said.

So there was the challenge.

"Split!" Raegan called. The careers to walk back to their own individual stations.

Knives walked away, feeling singled out and dejected.

Suddenly, a large hand gripped her shoulder and she whirled around. In front of her was Jude with a strange look in his grey eyes. It wasn't anger, but almost determination. "Don't let them get to you, Knives. Even if you don't get a kill, remember that me and you have our own little alliance within this alliance, and if they try to hurt you... I-I'll kill them. I'll kill them all." He said in a quiet voice that was full of passion.

* * *

On day two, Cherry and Lyle decided to tackle the plants station. Cherry originally wanted to go for the weapons, but Lyle was too afraid to go along with her, so they didn't.

When the lunch bell rang, a peacekeeper walked into the room to escort the tributes into the dining hall. They walked out of the training center in single file and arrived at two metal doors. The peacekeeper swung the door open and Cherry laid her eyes on the most beautiful arrangement of food she had ever seen. There were turkeys and roasts laid laid out for them, lobsters and crabs, red velvet cakes dressed in cream cheese frosting, fruits and pies of all different kinds, and baskets of breads. That was only what Cherry could see. When she walked further into the room, she saw that there was even more food.

Cherry settled on slices of turkey, some apple pie, and a glass of milk. Lyle picked a sandwich and soup.

The two District Nine tributes sat at a table near the edge of the cafeteria, overlooking the feast of the tributes. The careers were all the way on the other side of the room, the boy from Four and the girl from One talking and laughing loudly. The rest of the tributes were scattered across the room, some sat with their allies and district partners, while some sat alone, and others were still up getting food.

"So what do you think of the capitol so far?" Cherry asked Lyle as she looked around.

Lyle shrugged nervously. "It's okay, I miss home though. I miss my dad." He said, looking down.

Cherry nodded as she took a bite of apple pie. "Yeah, i miss my family too."

"Hey." A new voice said.

Cherry looked up to see the boy from Ten and his district partner behind him. His name was Haven if she remembered correctly. He had curling brown hair and sparkling blue eyes.

"Hi!" Cherry replied excitedly. This was the same boy that waved to her during the chariot rides.

"Can we sit here?" Haven asked, nodding to the free seats next to Lyle and Cherry.

Cherry nodded. "Sure, sit wherever you like."

Lorelei and Haven sat down on either side of Cherry and Lyle and began to eat their lunch.

After a few minutes, Haven looked up at Lyle, who was sitting across from him and spoke. "Alright, so me and Lorelei have been watching you guys for the past few days and we were interested in allying with the two of you. I hope I'm not being too direct or anything, but you guys seem like you would be nice allies to have." He said kindly. "What do you say?"

His offer hit Lyle like a ton of bricks. Two more allies! People had never taken notice of him back home, but now that he was here, he was about to have three entire allies. Lyle nodded quickly.

Haven smiled at Lyle. "That's awesome. What do you say, Cherry?" He asked, turning to her.

"Yes." Cherry said too fast. Like Lyle, she was also excited to get an opportunity for more allies.

Lorelei smiled at Cherry and spoke up. "Well welcome to the alliance." She grinned. "Now, we've also been interested in the girl from Twelve because she seems to be alone, so what do think about her?" Lorelei asked attentively.

Cherry shrugged through a mouthful of turkey. She swallowed it and shrugged again. "She seems a bit aloof, but by all means, if you want her then go for it." She encouraged Lorelei.

Haven's eyes darted over to Adelaide, who was sitting alone. She was picking at a piece of lobster with a frown on her face.

Haven sighed. "I hope she says yes."

After twenty more minutes of talking and laughing, the bell rang again and all of the tributes began to walk back down to the training center. Lunch was now over and they were going back to train for the next few hours until dinner. The four tributes from Nine and Ten stood up as an avox came to clear away their trays. As they walked back downstairs, Haven jumped down the steps, ahead of their little group.

The training center's doors swung opened and Haven held open the door for his three new friends. The four of them walked into the room and met near the plants station. Next to them, they saw Adelaide at the spears station, pulling a silver spear off of the rack and examining it carefully.

"Should I go ask her now?" Haven asked his friends with wide blue eyes.

Lorelei nodded.

Haven took a deep breath and turned around. He walked over to the spears station slowly and thought about what he would say to Adelaide. He watched as she pulled her arm back and threw the spear into the target. It was only a mere inch off from the bullseye. Here was his chance.

"That was good." Haven smiled.

The blonde girl jumped slightly and turned to face Haven. As soon as she saw him, a dirty scowl crossed her face and she began to walk away.

"But-" Haven's eyes grew wide as he watched her leave.

_I didn't even get to ask her_, he thought sadly. He was going to hate breaking the news to his allies.

* * *

Teddy was hiding in the camouflage station, feeling sad and afraid. He couldn't stop thinking about his sister. He hoped she was okay. Without him there for their mother to take her anger out on, Lily would be the new punching bag.

He picked up a brush and began swirling mud and leaves together until the leaves were completely saturated. He sighed as he looked at his creation. He would never survive in the Hunger Games if it came down to camouflage.

He would never survive the games in general.

Meanwhile, Freddie was climbing the monkey bars with ease. The monkey bars were made of pure steel and dangled almost twenty feet above the ground. Being nearly ten feet tall when he was dangling by his fingers, it would be a ten foot drop if he were to fall. That scared him enough to keep going.

As Freddie reached the edge, he sighed and rubbed his fingers. He was still feeling depressed and missed Mitch terribly. The past few nights he had been drowning himself in alcohol and getting high to rid himself of reality. It was his only escape since everything else seemed to remind him of his impending death.

His plan for training was to start with the things he was most skilled at and work his way down from there. He was probably worst at hand to hand combat, but for now he would enjoy himself at the climbing and camouflage stations.

* * *

Petunia and Aspen had stuck together during training, going to each station, minus the weapons, together. They had agreed that if they were to trust anyone, it would be each other. They were the only twelve year olds other than the girl from Six and the boy from Eleven, but they didn't seem interested in allies.

Aspen had taken an interest to the District One boy though after Petunia had pointed out that he had ditched the careers and decided to work alone. It interested Aspen, no other career born tribute had ever said no to the career alliance. Lucius Kramer was a first.

They worked side by side with Kramer at a few stations and he ignored them most of the time, but he glanced their way occasionally to see what they were doing.

With a sigh, Kramer got up from the camouflage station and wiped his hands off on his black pants. He moved onto the throwing knives station with Aspen and Petunia watching from the sidelines.

Knives in hand, Kramer bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. The dummies rose out of the ground with a click and Kramer began to throw. With deadly speed, he threw the knives into the hearts of the dummies in mere seconds. Liquid began to leak out of the wounds almost immediately.

The life-size targets had a white rubber layer with the exact thickness of real human skin. Underneath it was a cerulean blue liquid. Everything in the capitol was precise, but this interested him the most.

After ten more minutes of throwing practice, Kramer wiped the sweat off of his forehead and exited the station. With a sigh, he went back to the camouflage station, where Petunia and Aspen were staring at him with their mouths partially open. They had never seen someone with so much talent and precise aim.

It was there that Aspen decided to tell him just that. "You're really handy with a knife." He complimented him.

Kramer turned to look at him. "Yeah? Thank you." He replied with a small smile.

Aspen grinned in return. Maybe this boy wasn't so bad after all.

Suddenly, Petunia spoke. "You know, Kramer, I saw that you didn't go with the careers. How come?" She asked curiously.

Kramer shrugged. "They're clearly planning something to get further in the game, and I don't want any part of it. Besides, they are all here just for the fun of it, which disgusts me." His hazel eyes found hers, making her shiver.

"But going into the arena alone... It's not safe. I thought you'd be going with the careers, but you're not, so what's your plan?" Petunia asked.

Kramer shrugged his shoulders again. "Just stick it out alone. It's what I do in real life anyways. It shouldn't be that hard." He said nonchalantly.

Then, Aspen interrupted. "So why didn't anyone volunteer for you? Are y-" he began.

"People don't like me. They wanted me gone." Kramer interrupted him.

"What, are you an outcast or something?" Aspen asked with wide eyes. "I'm sure it's not-"

Kramer interrupted him once more. "It's a bit like that actually."

Aspen nodded. "Oh." He said.

Kramer smiled a little. He did like these kids. They didn't seem interested in using him like the careers would and they weren't mean or manipulative. Aspen and Petunia kind of reminded him of his little brother, Bentley, whom he would do anything for.

Kramer hoped he wouldn't be around when they died.

* * *

Sully and Rory were currently working at the knots station, learning about different kinds of knots and how they worked.

The two boys were getting along quite well. Rory felt kind of like Sully was the older, rebellious brother he never had. They could work together in silence easily because nothing felt awkward between the two of them. Rory smiled to himself. If Serra was here she would have been proud that he had found such a good ally.

Rory held out his finished knot to Sully. "I'm done." He said with a grin.

Sully nodded. "Looks good."

Suddenly, Sully rose to his feet. "I've got to piss." He mumbled as he walked towards the doors.

Rory nodded, looking back down at his knot. He picked up a new piece of rope and began to work on a new kind of knot. This one was a little bit more intricate. It used all of his fingers and several different kinds of loops to get it right.

Rory thought about home as he moved his fingers through the ropes. He wondered how Serra was doing. He hoped she was staying out of trouble, but knowing her, she probably wasn't. Rory also wondered how their little flower shop was doing. Without him their to take over Serra's shifts, it might not be getting as much business.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him and a figure cast a shadow over him and his knot.

"Hey." He looked up to see the girl from District Three, her eyes light and breezy. "I'm Lithium."

"Hi." Rory said as he looked up at her with wide eyes. She was absolutely beautiful. She had light blue eyes that glittered with eagerness and long blonde hair that fell down her back in loose waves.

"What have you got there?" She asked in a kind voice as she sat down next to him.

Rory held out his knot to her. "It's a knot. Me and Sully were just at this station to pass time. See, it's so intricate, I don't really know what it's purpose is yet." He explained as Lithium took the knot from him and turned it around in her hands.

"That's really cool." She smiled. "Look, I'm here because I was wondering if I could join your alliance. You guys seem like nice people." She asked directly.

Rory's eyes widened. "Really?"

Lithium smiled as she nodded. "Really. What do you say?"

"We'll have to ask Sully. I'd say yes though." Rory shrugged.

Lithium shrugged her shoulders. "Alright."

Just then, the doors swung back open and Sully barged back into the room, wiping his hands on his pants. Upon seeing Lithium with Sully, his eyebrows furrowed. He wondered what this girl was doing with his ally.

"Hey, Sully." Rory waved.

"Sup." Sully nodded. "Who are you?" He asked Lithium.

Lithium smiled. "I'm-"

"This is Lithium." Rory interrupted. "She wanted to join the alliance." He explained to his ally.

Sully studied her critically before shrugging again. "Welcome to the alliance." He said.

Lithium smiled, feeling the fire burst under her skin. This was perfect. Completely and utterly perfect.

* * *

**A/N: i just finished reading Divergent and it was an awesome book! Sorry it's taken me nearly a week to update, but i just haven't had as many good ideas as i usually do, so i've waited until some came to me. Anyways, this was day two of training. So, capitol made alliances are sealed and a few plots have been formed. Tell me what you thought!**


	19. Training Day Three

Day three wasn't just any kind of training day. Today was the day that they would be performing for the gamemakers to be evaluated and ultimately scored on their abilities. The tributes were allowed to train until lunch, and then the private sessions would begin. The scores would be aired on national television later that night.

Near the throwing knives station, Velvet was deep in thought as she twirled a knife in her delicate fingers. Velvet didn't particularly like Knives or Jude, but she knew she had to put up with them since they were all in the same alliance. It all came down to Jude's attitude. He always had his chin lifted defiantly in the air like he thought he was better than everyone else and he always wanted to go against the grain, but damn, he was handsome.

Velvet sighed as she threw the knife into the heart of a dummy.

Meanwhile, Raegan was getting bored with just training. He wanted some drama to happen. He knew he had stirred up the pot yesterday by singling out Knives like that, but now things were just getting dull again and he didn't like it. He scanned the room with narrowed brown eyes, looking for something to do.

That's when his eyes fell on Lucius Kramer, over at the plants station.

A devious smirk stretched across his face as he walked over to him. He had overheard Velvet say earlier that this kid was a psycho and now he wanted to see it for himself.

"Hey, wanna spar?" Raegan asked as he approached him.

Kramer looked up, eyes narrowed. "No." He said flatly.

Raegan's smirk grew. "Why? Scared I'll beat you?" He asked, even though he knew that wasn't why Kramer wouldn't spar with him. Kramer hated the careers and that was the true reason he wouldn't fight him.

"Leave me alone." Kramer growled.

Raegan laughed. "Oh, I don't think I will." He said in a sing-song voice as he kicked over the assortment of sticks Kramer was stacking.

That was when Kramer stood up, facing him.

"Is there a problem?" Kramer asked in a deadly voice. "Why did you just do that?"

"Because I wanted to." Raegan shrugged with a smug smile on his face. "I can do whatever I want to and you can't do anything about that."

_Lay a hand on me, I dare you,_ Kramer thought to himself with a growl.

Raegan laughed again, harsh and mean. "Look at him, he isn't that strong. What do you mean he's dangerous, Velvet?" Raegan called across the room as he got in Kramer's personal space, face only inches away from his.

"Get away from me." Kramer growled, his hazel eyes narrowed dangerously.

Raegan laughed. "It's not like you're gonna do anything about it. There are peacekeepers everywhere." Raegan teased as he looked at the two peacekeepers guarding the door. His eyes reflecting the hate Kramer had in his. With a swift movement, Raegan pushed Kramer backwards and the scarlet haired boy stumbled on his own feet.

Then it happened.

Kramer shot up and lunged for Raegan, knife in hand. He was going to kill him. He didn't care if he was supposed to wait for the arena, he was going to _kill_ him. Right here and right now.

As he slammed into Raegan, both boys fell on the floor with a crash. Kramer twisted himself on top of Raegan and raised the knife above his head, ready to kill him. Raegan's eyes widened in fear. This kid really was crazy.

Suddenly, a strong hand yanked Kramer off of him and took the knife out of his hands.

Kramer whipped around to see several peacekeepers standing in front of him. "You are not allowed to kill each other until you get into the arena. Rules are rules!" One of them barked as he pulled Kramer away from Raegan.

Kramer yanked his arm free from the peacekeeper and stood still for a moment, searing hot hate coursing through his veins. He knew he was about to lose it. With a glare, he stormed out of the training center and burst through metal doors. He didn't know where he was going, he just needed to get out of there.

The corners of his vision darkened with anger as he stumbled into the boys bathroom.

The door closed behind him and that was when he lost it. He let out a vicious yell as he slammed his fist against the wall. Pain shot up his arm, but he didn't care. No physical pain could add up to what he was feeling inside. He felt angry. He felt trapped. He felt _livid_. He continued to scream and punch for what felt like hours. He didn't know and he didn't care. Nothing seemed to rid him of this hatred he felt for the careers. Finally, he stopped punching and the emptiness came seeping back in.

That was when the tears came. One tear leaked down his face and the rest came like a waterfall. He slid down the wall and crumpled onto the ground. He covered his face with his elbows as violent sobs racked his tired body.

After ten more minutes of crying on the bathroom floor, he stood up shakily and stumbled to the sink.

He stared at himself in the mirror, his bloodshot hazel eyes glaring back at him. Something hot and burning bubbled inside of his chest, threatening to explode. He wanted to _hurt_ him.

Last time he felt like this, someone ended up dead.

* * *

Flora watched with wide eyes as the boy from One stomped out of the room. He had almost killed that boy from Four, Raegan, just now and everyone was silent. This reminded her that this was all real. No matter what kind of alliances she formed, in a month twenty-three of them would be cold, dead corpses.

She shuddered and turned towards Salome. "I'm glad that wasn't me." She said as she nodded towards Raegan, who was still in shock from Kramer's attack.

Salome laughed as she eyed the stick she was twirling around in her fingers. "I'm glad that wasn't you too." She smiled thoughtfully.

Flora smiled softly as she looked at Salome. She was glad she had her as an ally.

It was then that she noticed that Salome had a pale purple bruise on her jaw. "What's that from?" Flora asked as she brushed her jaw with her hand.

Salome frowned a little bit. "I got into a fight." She mumbled.

Flora's eyes widened. She didn't think Salome was the fighting type. Sure, she had learned that Salome was a bit mouthy and promiscuous, but she didn't think that she was a fighter. Maybe that would be good for their alliance though, since Flora didn't know how to fight in the slightest.

Salome rolled her eyes as she looked down. "I know, I know. It's bad to fight, but there was this one girl..." She began. And with that, she began to tell Flora about her fight with Brooke right before the reaping.

Meanwhile on the other side of the training center, The four tributes from Nine and Ten were trying out the plants station one last time before the private sessions.

Cherry was humming softly as she picked up what she thought was a blueberry. As she popped into her mouth, she heard a screech and out of the corner of her vision she saw Haven's eyes fly open.

"Spit that out!" He cried as he ran for her.

Cherry obeyed, shocked, and spit the berry out. "W-what? It's just a blueberry. It is a blueberry, isn't it?" She asked, surprised.

Haven shook his head, feeling uptight. "That's privet! It's poisonous!" He cried, still feeling alarmed that she would so carelessly eat something like that without a second thought. He mentally noted that Cherry wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

"Oh." Was all Cherry could say as she looked around the training center in a daze.

Haven let out a frustrated sigh as he walked back over to talk to Lorelei and Lyle.

* * *

"All tributes to the waiting chamber. All tributes to the waiting chamber." A monotone voice said over the loudspeaker.

Rory, Sully, and Lithium stopped their conversation and stood up. All twenty-four tributes set down their weapons and walked solemnly to the waiting chamber. Well, everyone except Raegan and Velvet that is. They whooped and cheered, excited to get to show the gamemakers their skills.

Rory wiped the dirt off of his pants and followed his two allies to the door.

As they entered the waiting chamber, Rory looked around him. In front of him was a dimly lit, chilly room. The walls were made of grey marble and there were five rows of benches drilled into the middle of the room. Feeling nervous, Rory sat down in the back of the room. Sully and Lithium did the same, sitting next to him.

"Are you nervous, Rory?" Sully asked, observing him.

Rory nodded. "A little bit."

Lithium smiled. "Don't be nervous darling, you're going to do great in there." She said encouragingly.

Rory smiled. "Thanks." He said softly.

Suddenly, a monotone voice filled the room over the loudspeaker. "Lucius Kramer."

Right on queue, the heavy steel doors behind him swung open and the scarlet haired boy burst into the room. His eyes were red rimmed and his nose was rubbed raw and pink. He had obviously been crying. He strode right into into his private session without even sparing anyone a glance.

"Poor baby, he was crying." Lithium said with what seemed to be real sympathy.

"Yeah, poor baby." Sully said under his breath with a smirk.

After thirty more minutes, Districts One and Two plus Cain were gone and Lithium was up next. She sat there with a smile on her face as she imagined how well she would do. Suddenly, there was static on the intercom.

"Lithium Lumiere." The intercom said.

Lithium jumped up with an elated grin. "Well, see you soon boys." She smiled as she walked to the doors. With the flick of her delicate wrist, she pressed a button and the heavy doors slid open. Rory watched as she bounced into the room and the doors closed behind her.

As soon as she was gone was when Sully spoke.

"Rory, what do you think of Lithium?" Sully asked, his voice quiet and low.

"I think she's fine, why?"

Sully shook his head. "Nothing."

"No, what is it?" Rory asked, wanting to know.

"I don't know, it's like everything she says was dipped in sugar. I'm not sure what I think of her, you know?"

Rory shrugged. "Maybe she's just a nice person."

Sully shook his head and sighed. "I have a feeling I'm onto something. No one is that nice."

Rory smirked at his friend. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

After what felt like hours, the number of tributes in the waiting chamber were dwindling and Rory was up next. His breaths were short and unnatural as he waited for the girl from District Seven to finish her private session. After ten more minutes, the was static in the intercom.

"Rory Rivera." The monotone voice filled the room.

Rory's breath hitched as he heard his name. It was time.

Sully slammed his hand onto Rory's back and wrapped him in a bear hug. "Good luck, bro." He said encouragingly.

Rory nodded. "Thanks man. You too." He nodded as he turned and walked away.

Rory took a deep breath as he pressed a button that opened the thick steel doors in front of him. The doors peeled open and he stepped inside. The room before him was vast, that was the only word for it. Rory was in the middle of observing it when there was the sound of a man clearing his voice.

"You have ten minutes." The head gamemaker said, bored.

Rory nodded and headed over to the ropes station.

* * *

**A/N: alright so I'm not going to write the private sessions because they are absolute hell to write, and I've always hated reading them in other stories because they are so boring, so therefore, I won't write them. The next chapter will be scores though. I'm so excited to get into the games, i hope you are too! Tell me what you thought about this chapter and anything you'd like to see happen throughout the story.**


	20. Scores

You could cut the tension with a knife in the lounge as Talulah and Teddy stared at the blank television screen. Teddy picked at his fingers nervously. He knew he had done bad. He had done awful to be honest and he didn't even want to think about how horrible his score was going to be.

Talulah, on the other hand, was feeling pretty confident. She had done all she could and now it was just time to sit down and see what the gamemakers thought of her. She hoped they liked her, but if they didn't then oh well. It's not like the scores meant anything anyways. She noticed Teddy squirming in his seat beside her. She thought she heard him mumbling about how bad he did earlier, but she didn't pay him any attention.

Suddenly, the television in District Eleven's lounge crackled to life and Cosmo Lavish's face appeared on the screen.

"Good evening, Panem. Tonight is a _very_ special night as I will reveal the training scores of each and every tribute. They have worked very hard over the past three days and it has all come down to this. Prepare to be amazed." He boomed with a grin as he turned around to look at the screen behind him.

The boy from District One's scowling face shimmered onto the screen. His hazel eyes were cold and all-knowing and his crimson red hair was trimmed loosely right above his eyebrows.

"Lucius Kramer..." Cosmo revealed, reading off a paper. "With a score of ten."

The number ten flashed across his picture and Talulah's eyes widened and Teddy gasped beside her. Ten was really good, almost unheard of in training scores. Only the best of the best got such high scores. Elevens and twelves were nearly impossible to get, so right now Kramer was at the top of the pack.

Up next was his district partner, Velvet. She had long, wavy blonde hair and big brown eyes. She was smiling confidentially in her picture.

"Velvet Forbes..." Cosmo boomed. "Eight."

Talulah shrugged. Not bad, not bad at all. Velvet's picture shimmered off the screen and was replaced by the handsome boy from District Two.

"Jude Devereux... Nine."

"Knives Sinclair... Seven."

Up next was the nerdy sixteen year old boy from District Three. He had curling blonde hair and big framed glasses. Talulah sighed as she looked at him. He couldn't have done well.

"Cain Tesla... Three."

Three wasn't _awful_, but it wasn't great either. This was the lowest score so far. Talulah's heart sank as she realized Cain would probably be a bloodbath.

Up next was his beautiful district partner, Lithium.

"Lithium Lumiere... Seven."

Talulah's eyes narrowed suspiciously. How had such a seemingly innocent girl gotten a SEVEN? There was definitely something more to her than Talulah had suspected.

"Raegan Pike with a score of nine."

"And Marina Ophelius with a score of eight."

Talulah was still thinking about Lithium as the scores went on. She was probably hiding something. Talulah tried to picture the angelic girl getting bloody in the arena. Somehow she just couldn't.

"Freddie St. Clair... Five."

"Salome Bucks... Six."

"Ike Ladage... Six"

"Wisteria Cade... Three."

Teddy tapped Talulah on the shoulder. "How do you think you did?" He asked quietly.

Talulah shrugged. "I think I did alright. I'm sure you're going to do just fine too." She smiled encouragingly even though deep inside she knew that Teddy was probably going to get one of the lowest scores.

"Aspen Buckley with a score of four."

"And Petunia Barker with a score of three."

The number three flashed across the small asian girl's picture and she shimmered out of sight. Petunia's face was replaced with the boy from District Eight. He was an attractive guy with short clipped black hair and sparkling dark blue eyes.

"Rory Rivera... Five."

"Flora Costello... Four."

"Lyle Fitzpatrick... Three."

"Cherry Pavone... Four."

Four relatively low scores. Talulah hoped she had done better than that. Her breath hitched a little bit as she realized she was coming up soon.

"Haven Hanover... Five."

"Lorelei Sykes... Six."

Finally, it was time for her and Teddy. The blonde girl from Ten disappeared off the screen and was replaced by Teddy's picture. He was looking very afraid in his photo, his dark eyes wide and wild with fear.

"Teddy Nelson... One."

Teddy squeaked and sunk into the plush couch. Talulah's mouth fell open and she kind of wanted to laugh. One was the worst of the worst kind of score. Talulah knew he had said he'd done bad, but she didn't think he meant _that_ bad. She couldn't even imagine how he got such a low score.

Teddy's face shimmered off of the screen and was replaced by Talulah's familiar face. She looked pretty in her picture with long, straight sun kissed bronze hair and warm amber brown eyes. Her skin was just as tan as usual and she was smiling coyly.

"Talulah Cooper..." Cosmo began. Here was the moment of truth. "With a score of four."

Talulah nodded to herself. Four wasn't bad, it wasn't great, it was right in the middle. It didn't mark her as an automatic bloodbath, but it wasn't high enough to make the careers want to hunt her down. The more she thought about it, the more satisfied she was with her score.

"Sullivan McCormick... Seven."

"Adelaide Quick... Six."

The scowling girl from District Twelve disappeared off of the screen and was replaced by Cosmo Lavish's grinning face.

"What a night! Panem, here are your tributes scores. For capitol citizens, betting starts tomorrow in the grand lobby, and to the rest of the nation, may the odds be ever in your favorite tribute's favor. Here are a recap of the scores." Cosmo boomed.

A grid with numbers and names filled the television.

District 1 [Luxury]

Lucius Kramer- 10

Velvet Forbes- 8

District 2 [Masonry]

Jude Devereux- 9

Knives Sinclair- 7

District 3 [Technology]

Cain Tesla- 3

Lithium Lumiere- 7

District 4 [Fishing]

Raegan Pike- 9

Marina Ophelius- 8

District 5 [Power]

Freddie St. Clair- 5

Salome Bucks- 6

District 6 [Transportation]

Ike Ladage- 6

Wisteria Cade- 3

District 7 [Lumber]

Aspen Buckley- 4

Petunia Barker- 3

District 8 [Textiles]

Rory Rivera- 5

Flora Costello- 4

District 9 [Grain]

Lyle Fitzpatrick- 3

Cherry Pavone- 4

District 10 [Livestock]

Haven Hanover- 5

Lorelei Sykes- 6

District 11 [Agriculture]

Teddy Nelson- 1

Talulah Cooper- 4

District 12 [Coal Mining]

Sully McCormick- 7

Adelaide Quick- 6

The numbers and names faded off the screen and Cosmo Lavish returned. "Tonight has been a very eventful night. Remember to bet on your favorite tributes tomorrow and have a lovely evening, Panem! Goodnight." Cosmo boomed.

The screen went black and Talulah and Teddy were left in silence.

"I'm going to bed." Teddy mumbled as he got off the couch and went to his room.

"Goodnight." Talulah called after him, but he had already closed the door.

Talulah stared at the blank television and let it all sink in. The games were coming and they were closer than ever.

She wasn't ready at all.

* * *

**A/N: i know I've been gone for over a week, don't hate me! Anyways, these are the scores. I know, I know, short chapter. The next chapter will be a lot longer though, promise. Til next time! :)**


	21. Interviews Part One

Backstage, the tributes were lined in single file, shaking with either excitement or nervousness. The crowd was cheering and screaming for them, but Cosmo Lavish was still in hair and makeup, so they would just have to wait.

Meanwhile, towards the back of the line, Lyle was quivering with nerves. He had never spoken freely in front of so many people before. He had never spoken freely to anyone except his family, actually. This couldn't go well.

"Why are you shaking?" Cherry asked bluntly from behind him.

Lyle jumped at the words, but quickly relaxed when he realized it was just Cherry. "I h-have stage fright, sorry." Lyle stuttered.

Cherry nodded. "It's cool, I do too. Just picture the audience naked, trembling in front of their maker, begging for mercy." Cherry said nonchalantly.

Lyle just stared at her, wondering what went on in her head.

Suddenly the crowd's clapping and cheers grew significantly louder and the tributes craned their necks to see what had just happened. It was Cosmo Lavish, fresh out of hair and makeup.

"Ladies and gentlemen," A masculine voice said on the loudspeaker. "Your master of ceremonies, Cosmo Lavish!"

Cosmo twirled around in his chair and faced the audience, a brilliant white smile lighting up his face. The crowd of capitolites burst into another heavy round of screaming and cheering as Cosmo rose from his velvet chair and waved and blew kisses to his fans.

A jazzy brass ensemble played at full volume as Cosmo continued smiling to the crowd. As it faded out of the speakers, Cosmo raised the microphone to his lips.

"Thank you, thank you!" He called out in a voice full of character. "And welcome to the Nineteenth Annual Hunger Gaaaaames!"

Backstage, Kramer was watching Cosmo live from a television when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find Velvet leaning next to his ear. He could smell her vanilla and lavender scented perfume from this close.

"What." He hissed under his breath, ignoring how beautiful she looked in her glittering lilac dress. He hated this girl for being a career and didn't want to speak to her anymore than he had to.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for Raegan's stunt yesterday. I know it was wrong and I hope you weren't too hurt by it. I don't want there to be any bad blood between us." She whispered to him.

Kramer rolled his eyes. "Sweetheart, I'm not hurt, I'm angry. And yes, there is some bad blood between us because your a _career_ and I will personally make it my mission to make sure you don't come out of this thing alive." He said rudely.

Velvet's eyes widened, but Kramer had already turned his back on her. He suppressed a smile as he heard Velvet gasp from behind him. Surely she had never heard anything like that before.

Before he knew it, Cosmo was ready for him to come out.

"Let's meet the handsome Lucius Kramer!" Cosmo called.

The crowd went wild by just the mention of his name.

Kramer walked on stage with a scowl cutting through his features. He wore a white short sleeved button down shirt and a pair of black dress pants. The crowd went absolutely berzerk as they saw him walk towards Cosmo. Kramer payed them no attention as he ignored Cosmo's handshake and sat down in the chair opposite of him.

Recovering quickly, Cosmo sat down and smiled at Kramer. "Well, well, well, Mr. Kramer you are quite a fan favorite in the capitol so far. How does that feel?" Cosmo asked as he held the microphone out to him.

"Fine. Thanks." Kramer said curtly as he looked at his hands.

Cosmo nodded. "Well I must admit, we don't know very much about you, but that ten in training was quite impressive. Mind telling us how you achieved such an impeccable score?" Cosmo asked.

Kramer shook his head. "You know that's against the rules."

Cosmo grinned. "Oh I know it is. You just don't seem like someone who would play by the rules."

Kramer cracked a dark smile at that. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So tell us, what is your weapon of choice?" Cosmo asked, holding out the microphone to him.

"Weapon of choice? That's easy, throwing knives." Kramer shrugged. "I'm pretty skilled with them, you know."

Cosmo grinned wider. "Oh we know that. Am I right, folks?" He asked the crowd.

The crowd roared in response.

"Now Lucius, onto a more serious question." Cosmo began, looking solemn. "A little birdie told me that you are actually experienced with murder. Am I correct?"

Kramer's posture grew stiff, but he managed to nod his head. "Yes, you are." He said evenly.

The entire crowd fell silent.

"Would you mind telling us what happened?" Cosmo asked in a low voice.

Kramer was quiet for a moment before speaking. "A boy thought it was funny to pick on my brother." He said as he lowered his gaze. "Well he doesn't think it's so funny anymore."

Kramer didn't lift his gaze for a solid minute. The crowd was deathly silent as they thought about his response.

Suddenly, the buzzer rang and Kramer stood up and shook Cosmo's hand.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you." Cosmo smiled softly.

"Likewise." Kramer mumbled as he walked off the stage.

As Kramer exited the stage, Cosmo turned towards the backstage door where Velvet was standing. "And now, help me welcome the _beautiful_ Velvet Forbes!" He called as he swung his hand out in her direction.

Velvet walked onstage, wearing a glittering bodycon dress that was encrusted with pale purple rhinestones. Her blonde hair was done in thick curls that cascaded down her back. She wore sparkling silver pumps and tons of silver jewelry. She looked fabulous.

"Velvet, I must say... You look absolutely _stunning_." Cosmo gasped, astounded by her beauty.

Velvet smiled coyly. "Oh you're a doll, Cosmo. Thank you." She laughed as she took a seat next to him.

"Now tell me," Cosmo said, leaning towards her. "What made you want to volunteer?"

Velvet shrugged and thought about this for a moment. "The money, the fame, the riches. You know, the usual." She said nonchalantly.

Backstage, Kramer curled his bottom lip in disgust. This girl represented everything he hated in the world.

Cosmo laughed. "At least she's honest!" He called out to the crowd. The crowd roared in laughter.

When it quieted down, Cosmo looked at Velvet more seriously. "Now, are you sure you'll be able to win? I mean, I know I wouldn't." He admitted.

"Of course I'll win." Velvet said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I'd like to see anyone try to outdo me."

"As would I!" Cosmo agreed in an enthusiastic voice.

Velvet and Cosmo continued their light banter for another minute, then the buzzer rang and she was escorted off the stage. She took a seat next to Kramer on the side of the stage as Cosmo got ready to introduce the next tribute.

"Up next is the _dangerous_ Jude Devereux!" Cosmo shouted over the cheers.

Jude walked onstage with wearing a dark grey vest that was covered by a pitch black blazer and identically black dress pants. His dark hair was slicked back with gel and his cold grey eyes looked like they could suck the life right out of the auditorium.

He shook Cosmo's hand calmly and took a seat across from him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Jude. You are even more handsome in person!" Cosmo called over the cheers.

Jude nodded. "I know." He said in a monotone voice.

"Such confidence!" Cosmo shouted in glee. "Are you ready to partake in this years Hunger Games?"

"Yes, I'm definitely ready." Jude confirmed with a curt nod. "I've trained my whole life for this, it was just a matter of time before I could volunteer."

"How long have you been training?" Cosmo asked curiously.

"Since I was seven." Jude replied in a flat voice, not giving anymore detail than that.

"Jude, I just can't seem to crack you. Can't you give us any more personality?" Cosmo asked with a laugh.

Jude glared at him. "This _is_ my personality. Is it not enough for you?" He asked almost accusingly.

Feeling the anger Jude projected, Cosmo shrunk away from him and held up his hands defensively. "No, no, it was only a suggestion."

Jude just grunted as he adjusted his tie.

Jude refused to answer anymore of Cosmo's questions as he sat there seething. Cosmo had ruined the plan he had set up in his head for the interviews by asking such a dumb question and he wished to speak no more.

When the buzzer rang, it was a huge relief for Cosmo. That interview was a disaster.

"Panem, help me introduce the next tribute- the young but deadly, Knives Sinclair!" Cosmo called out jovially.

The crowd went wild.

Knives walked onstage wearing a black dress that glittered with sequins. Her dark hair was done down her back in loose curls and she wore six inch black stilettos.

She walked towards Cosmo, holding out her hand, when she stumbled over her feet and fell onto the cold marble floor. The crowd gasped all at once. Cosmo rushed to help her up and steadied her on her feet before letting out a nervous laugh. Knives was wide eyed and red as a beet.

"That was quite an entrance, Miss Sinclair!" Cosmo laughed as he sat down. The crowd laughed heavily in agreement.

"Sorry." Knives tried to laugh, but it came out more like a choked whimper.

Cosmo laughed again. "It's quite alright dear. Please, please take a seat!" He said, patting the seat beside him.

Knives obliged politely, sitting down.

"Now Miss Sinclair, lets talk Hunger Games. How do you feel about this years tributes?" Cosmo asked, listening intently.

Knives shrugged. "I mean I guess it's the same as every year. The careers are strong, but there are a few strong outer district tributes as well." She explained.

"Who do you think is the biggest threat to you careers?" Cosmo asked, interested.

Knives smiled mysteriously. "There are no threats to the careers."

Cosmo shrugged and laughed. "No, I guess not. But on another note, I heard there was some conflict with you and another career. Would you care to elaborate on that?"

Knives' mind automatically went to Raegan. In her head, he was still wearing that stupid cocky smirk and his eyes were narrowed dangerously. She hated that boy and she wanted him dead. Of course, she couldn't say that out loud because if she did, he would probably have her out of the alliance. She had never felt so trapped.

Knives tensed up. "Yes there was. A few people want me out of the alliance." She answered stiffly.

Cosmo frowned. "Now why would that be?" He asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because I'm only sixteen? I'm not sure." Knives guessed.

Suddenly there was a noise from backstage. "It's because she's weak!" A voice called from the backstage. Knives and Cosmo turned by the door to find Raegan standing there with that signature smirk on his face.

Knives instantly turned red, feeling like she was about to explode.

"Mr. Pike, I'm going to have to ask you to go backstage." Cosmo said sternly.

Raegan shrugged and went back, but not before smiling deviously at Knives.

Cosmo turned back to Knives who looked ready to cry. "Miss Sinclair are you okay?" He asked with concern.

Knives just sat there for a moment, before speaking again. "I'm fine." She said, anger seeping into her tone.

Suddenly, the buzzer rang and Knives hurried off stage.

Cosmo was left wondering if she was really alright. He hated having upset tributes, especially right before the big launch tomorrow. Cosmo recovered quickly, standing back up and gathering himself.

"Alright folks, give a warm welcome to the magnificent Cain Tesla!" He boomed with a giant fake smile.

Cain walked out wearing a simple white button down shirt and pale yellow jeans, with a pair of white oxford shoes to match his shirt. He walked stiffly to Cosmo and shook his hand. It was easy to see the fear in his eyes as the two sat down.

"Now Cain, why do you look so scared?" Cosmo laughed as he patted Cain on the back. "We're friendly, I promise."

Cain looked across the vast crowd of colorful capitolites. They were all looking at him. They were all staring right through his very soul! He didn't think he could handle this kind of attention. There were just... There were just too many people here.

"I-I'm not used to this many eyes on me." Cain stuttered, answering honestly.

"Well we all love you here. There is nothing to be afraid of, I promise you!" Cosmo smiled as the crowd shouted words of love and encouragement to him.

Cain's interview went on stiffly, him answering all of Cosmo's answers vaguely and nervously looking around him. As his buzzer rang, Cain sighed in relief and ran off the stage.

"Up next is the _angelic_ Lithium Lumiere!" Cosmo called out to the crowd.

The crowd roared for her.

Lithium walked onstage right on queue with a giant smile plastered across her face. She wore a baby doll dress made of lace and gold, with pale pink blossoms in her long, blonde hair. She looked like an angel.

"Lithium, you look amazing!" Cosmo called out to her as she approached.

Lithium's smile grew. "Oh thank you, Cosmo. You looked pretty good yourself." She said coyly.

Cosmo laughed heartily as the two sat down. "Oh, aren't you just a doll!" He smiled.

Lithium shrugged, smiling.

"Now let's get right into it, dear." Cosmo began. "Let's talk about your allies, Rory Rivera from Eight and Sully McCormick from Twelve. What are your thoughts on them?" Cosmo asked curiously.

Lithium let a fake tear roll down her cheek. "It's a shame that two of us must die in order for one to win. I've grown so close to the both of them. It really is a shame." She said softly. Of course she really didn't care about the two boys in the slightest, she just needed to put on a good show for the capitol.

"Oh my, I truly am sorry, love. I'm sorry." Cosmo said as he touched his heart.

Lithium nodded weakly. "I'll survive." She said tearfully as she raised her head.

The capitol clung onto every word she said. Some of them were crying along with her.

Fools. They were all fools. If Lithium was being her true self, she would've walked out here and cussed them all out and tell them what complete and utter gullible morons they were. Of course, she had to make them like her, so she had to play the innocent girl to fool them all. She hoped she was fooling the other tributes as well. That would make it so much more exciting when she killed them all oh so painfully and slowly.

After Lithium's buzzer rang, she exited the stage and sat next to Cain on the sidelines.

"Now, lets welcome the mighty Raegan Pike, all the way from District Four!" Cosmo cried out joyfully.

Raegan strutted onto the stage in a simple sea green vest and pants. He winked and smirked at the crowd, causing them to roar loudly.

He shook Cosmo's hand vigorously and sat down.

"How are you, Cosmo?" Raegan asked, eyeing the small framed man as he sat down opposite of him.

"I'm doing just great, how are you?" Cosmo replied.

"I have never been better. I can't wait for the bloodbath tomorrow. I can't wait to start getting my hands dirty." Raegan smiled devilishly.

Cosmo jerked his head back, pretending to be taken aback, causing the crowd to laugh heavily.

"Well I guess we could say you're excited?" Cosmo asked, laughing.

Raegan smiled darkly.

"Now Raegan, we know you don't get along with your ally, Knives Sinclair, and I must ask why. Knives is a lovely girl!" Cosmo said, astonished.

Before answering, Raegan flipped his dark bangs out of his face, then he mused, "As I said before, she's weak. I, myself, believe the careers are about strength, not numbers, and well, Knives isn't strong." He shrugged. "It only makes sense that I don't want her in the alliance."

Cosmo nodded, taking in his answer. "So what about you? Do you think you're the strongest career this year?" He asked.

Raegan laughed out loud. "I don't just think so, I know so!" He grinned.

"So would you say that it was your destiny to win?" Cosmo asked.

"Nah," He waved Cosmo off. "Destiny is for losers. If I want something, I go out and make it happen. What, am I supposed to sit back and hope life gives me what I want? Are you kidding me?"

Cosmo smiled. "Well that's a good way to think of things."

Just then, Raegan's buzzer went off.

"Well that's all the time we have, Raegan. We'll see you in the games!" Cosmo smiled.

"I'll see you when I win." Raegan promised as he exited the stage.

Raegan strutted back to the back room and heard the crowd roar loudly as he left. As he went backstage, he saw Marina putting on her final touches of makeup.

"Did you enjoy that?" Raegan asked with an edge to his voice.

Marina smiled as she turned around. "You did great." She said.

Raegan patted her on the back. "I always did like you, Marina. Good luck out there." He smiled back as she walked towards the door.

Back onstage, Cosmo was ready for her.

"Let's meet Marina Ophelius!" He shouted out gleefully. "Marina, come on out!"

Marina walked on stage, waving and smiling, putting on her happiest and most charming face for the capitol. She wore a short, sparkling electric blue dress and her black hair flowed loosely down her back in mermaid-esque waves. She looked truly happy to be there.

"Marina, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Cosmo smiled as he shook her hand delicately.

Marina smiled. "And you."

As the two took a seat across from each other, Marina twirled a lock of her long, black hair in her fingers.

"So tell me, how are you liking the capitol so far?" Cosmo asked, interested.

"It's absolutely wonderful. I've never seen anything like it." Marina said with a sweet smile.

"What is home back in District Four like?" Cosmo asked, moving along.

Marina shrugged. "I live in a beachfront house, so I go swimming almost every day. Other than that, it's pretty typical. I mean, I go to school, I have friends, I train." She explained.

Cosmo nodded. "And what exactly inspired you to volunteer?" He asked.

Marina's insides froze for a moment. Should she tell him?

She decided that she might as well. There was no use in lying.

"My family... We really need the money. We've been living just above the poverty line for a few years now and if I win, we'll never have to worry about things like food and clothes ever again." Marina admitted, trying to stay strong. "That's what drove me to volunteer."

A hush fell over the crowd as many of the capitolites in the crowd touched their hearts. Cosmo had to take a moment to gather himself too.

"That's very brave of you to admit that, Marina." Cosmo said in a low voice.

Marina nodded. "I know. It's not something I'm proud of." She said in a small voice.

"But it's life, you know? Everyone struggles at some point in their lives." Cosmo said, trying to reason with her. "I'm very proud of you."

Marina smiled softly. "Thanks."

Her buzzer rang and Cosmo helped her up. "Well, that's all the time we have, dear. I truly do wish you the best of luck in the games. You deserved so much more back home." Cosmo sighed as he took her hand. "Folks, Marina Ophelius!" He called to the crowd.

The crowd roared in response. She had just won the sympathy vote for sure.

As she exited the stage, Cosmo gathered himself and got ready to introduce the next tribute.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give a big welcome to Freddie St. Clair!" Cosmo boomed.

Freddie stumbled onstage wearing a powder blue suit and white dress shoes. His short black hair was messy and his brown eyes were wide, not believing the amount of cheers he was getting.

He almost bumped into Cosmo as he approached him, and Cosmo greeted him with a handshake. Cosmo laughed heartily and sat down.

"Good evening, Freddie." Cosmo laughed.

Freddie sat down, still gazing out into the crowd. He didn't seem to hear him.

Cosmo cleared his throat and Freddie snapped to attention. "W-what?" He stuttered, confused.

"I said _good evening_, sir." Cosmo laughed.

"Oh! Yeah, good evening." Freddie said with wide eyes.

"So Freddie, I'm happy to tell you that you are one of our favorites this year." Cosmo grinned. "How does _that_ feel?"

Freddie laughed a little. "Why?" Was all he could manage.

Cosmo smiled. "It might be because of your little stunt at the reaping." He chuckled.

Screens all over the auditorium lit up and on them played Freddie's reaping- his name being called and him slamming into the base of the stage. He was obviously on drugs when he was reaped.

Freddie's face got red. "Oh man, that was embarrassing." He muttered.

Cosmo laughed loudly. "That was the reaping of the century! You're practically famous in the capitol. Am I right, folks?" He called to the crowd.

The crowd laughed heavily in response.

"Now Freddie, I have a more _serious_ question for you now." Cosmo said in a low voice as the crowd quieted down.

Freddie leaned back in his chair. "Go ahead." He nodded.

"Who are you missing the most from home" Cosmo asked.

Mitch. His name automatically popped into Freddie's head. He missed his boyfriend so dearly, it hurt to think about it. He had been drowning himself in liquor the last couple nights to stop thinking about Mitch's face. His beautiful face and his sweet, sweet smile. He would do anything to go back to him.

"M-my boyfriend, Mitch." Freddie stuttered. His heart began to ache for him almost immediately.

The crowd fell silent as Freddie's chin began to tremble ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry, Freddie." Cosmo said with care. "I can see that this is hard for you to talk about."

Freddie nodded, a build up of tears blurring his vision. All of the colorful capitol people slurred into one big blob. A tear spilled over and fell down Freddie's cheek and Cosmo touched his heart with a gloved hand.

"Would you like to talk about something else?" Cosmo suggested, getting a bit choked up himself.

Freddie nodded.

"Well, are you ready for the games tomorrow?" Cosmo asked.

Freddie shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever be ready, but they've got to come sometime, right?" He wiped the tears off his face.

"Right. Well I really hope you do well, Freddie, and that comes from the bottom of my heart." Cosmo said.

Suddenly, the buzzer went off and Freddie jumped a little in his chair.

"Well, that's that. I wish you the best of luck in the games tomorrow." Cosmo said sincerely as he and Freddie both rose from their chairs.

"Thanks." Freddie smiled softly.

As Freddie walked off stage, Cosmo adjusted his black suit and got ready for the next tribute.

"And next, The incredible Salome Bucks!" He shouted in a voice full of excitement.

Salome walked onstage, waving and grinning. Her honey colored hair fell down her back in loose curls and she wore smokey eyeshadow. She was dressed in a short, golden pixie dress and matching golden high heels. She looked like a goddess.

"So Miss Bucks, how do you like the capitol so far?" Cosmo asked.

Salome smiled. "It's amazing. The food here is great, training was fun, and I picked up a new ally. It's been going pretty well." She said with a smirk.

"A new ally? Who is it?" Cosmo asked, suddenly interested.

"I guess you'll find out in the games, yeah?" She said as she raised a neatly shaped eyebrow.

"Oooh come on, tell us!" Cosmo begged.

"Fine. I'll tell you." Salome smiled mysteriously. "And only you."

She leaned towards him and whispered a single name. Cosmo made a big deal out of it and clasped his hand to his mouth and smiled. "You two will make a great team!" He said happily.

Salome smiled. "I'm glad you think so."

The crowd whined loudly, demanding to know the name of her new ally.

"Sorry guys!" Cosmo shouted. "You'll just have to wait and find out!"

Salome's interview carried on and she and Cosmo talked about random things like home and boys. Then, her buzzer rang and she walked off stage. Her interview had gone well and she couldn't help but smile to herself as she sat down next to Freddie on the sidelines.

"Up next is Mr. Ike Ladage!" Cosmo called out.

Ike walked onstage wearing a green pinstripe shirt and a pair of matching green pants. His usually messy blonde hair was slicked back with clear gel and his blue eyes were bright and energetic.

"Hi Cosmo." He grinned as he shook his hand. "Nice crowd you got here." He smiled as he gazed out in front of him.

"Oh I know, they are absolutely amazing, aren't they?" Cosmo replied.

The crowd clapped and cheered for Ike. They loved to be adored like that.

Cosmo and Ike sat down and got ready to start the interview.

"So Ike, are you ready for the games tomorrow?" Cosmo got right into it.

Ike shook his head. "I'm not ready if I'm being completely honest with you. I don't condone murder and I don't want to take part in it, but I don't have a choice." He shrugged.

Cosmo nodded. "I suppose you don't. Does that mean you won't kill?" He asked.

Ike shrugged again. "I mean I would if someone was at my throat with a knife. It's self defense, you know? But I'm not going to go out of my way to murder little kids." He explained.

"That's certainly one way to look at it. Let's dive into another topic, shall we?" Cosmo leaned forward in his chair. "What is your family back home like?"

"They're alright. I have a few sisters and I miss them a lot." Ike said, sadness seeping into his tone.

"Did your sisters come to say goodbye to you?" Cosmo asked.

Ike nodded. "Yes. I told them everything was fine, and I hope I can keep that promise." Ike said. "They're the reason I'm going to fight so hard in there."

"But you won't kill for any other purpose than self defense, am I correct?" Cosmo asked.

"Correct. I'm going to stick to my morals, no matter what." Ike nodded strongly. "It may make it harder to win, but I can handle it."

"That's very brave, Ike." Cosmo said evenly.

Suddenly, the buzzer rang and Ike waved goodbye as he walked off stage.

Up next was little Wisteria, who walked out on stage wearing a lilac colored dress that stopped at her knees. Her white-blonde hair was done in her signature long side braid and her light amber eyes were wide with awe.

"Wisteria, you look darling!" Cosmo gasped, holding his hand out to her.

She took his hand with a smile and shook it delicately. The two sat down and Cosmo got right into the interview.

"So, with your birthday being in April, you are the youngest tribute here. How does that feel?" Cosmo asked.

Wisteria looked at him with knowing eyes. He probably thought she would say that she's scared or terrified, but he was in for a surprise. Wisteria wasn't scared. She knew that being small had more advantages than disadvantages. She was faster, lighter, and could climb trees like a squirrel. She knew her strengths and planned to use them to the best of her abilities in the games.

"It feels great. I'm gonna be the youngest victor you've ever had, I'll show you." She said confidently.

"And I hope you can live up to that statement!" Cosmo exclaimed. "Now tell us, what is home like?"

Wisteria was taken back to her family's little bakery inside of her mind. She could smell the fresh pastries and pies being baked in their oven and the warmth their home radiated. She suddenly felt very homesick.

"I live with my parents and little siblings. My older brother moved out a year ago, so now it's just us." Wisteria began. "We own a bakery."

"And what's your favorite thing about the bakery?" Cosmo asked.

"The cheesecake danishes, definitely." Wisteria smiled.

"Those sound delicious, dear." Cosmo said jovially. "Is there anything else we should know about you?"

"Well a lot of District Six lives in poverty, you know." Wisteria flickered her gaze to Cosmo. "Sometimes, I give the neighborhood kids things like bread and cakes. I want to help out and that's the only way I know how to." She explained.

Cosmo smiled warmly at her. "You're quite the hero, Wisteria. That really is kind of you."

Wisteria shrugged. "People need to eat." She said plainly.

Suddenly, the buzzer rang, signaling the end of her interview. Cosmo took Wisteria's hand again and helped her up.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you." Cosmo smiled. "Folks, Wisteria Cade!" He cried out to the crowd.

The crowd screamed and clapped for her as she walked off of the stage.

After she was gone, Cosmo looked into the cameras and brought the microphone to his lips. "We will be right back after a brief intermission. Grab your snacks, Panem, because when we return, we have twelve more hopeful tributes to interview. You don't want to miss it!" He said in a voice full of character.

Then the cameras stopped rolling and Cosmo went back to his chair.

* * *

**A/N: happy easter! I hope you all got lots of candy. Anyways, these are the first half of the interviews and writing these things are BRUTAL. It took me forever to get one of these out and I'm sorry. Up next is the second half of the interviews, then a pre games chapter, then THE ACTUAL HUNGER GAMES! I'm so excited to get into the games, I already have the bloodbath written and everything. Well, til next time :)**


	22. Interviews Part Two

"And we're back! Up next is one of the younger competitors in this year's Hunger Games- Aspen Buckley!" Cosmo boomed.

Aspen walked out with a large smile plastered onto his face. He wore a little khaki suit and a green striped tie tucked into it. He looked like a true gentlemen in his classic attire.

"Good evening, Mr. Buckley!" Cosmo smiled as he shook the young boy's hand. "A four, wow, that's an awful good score for someone as young as yourself." Cosmo said as the two sat down.

"Thanks, I tried my best." Aspen smiled.

"Now, let's be serious for a second." Cosmo said lowly. "Twelve year old's are usually the first to go. Is that going to be the case this year?" He asked.

Aspen shook his head. "Absolutely not. If they want to kill us, they'll have to catch us first!" He said enthusiastically.

A look of confusion crossed Cosmo's face. "Us?" He asked.

Aspen smiled. "Me and my ally, Petunia."

Cosmo leaned back and nodded. "Ah, I see. And how do you and Petunia plan to stay alive?"

"We're just going to wing it. Anything you guys throw at us, we'll be able to dodge it. We may be young, but we _are_ strong as a team." Aspen said confidently.

The crowd went wild at that. They loved seeing tributes come out and believe they had a fighting chance. It made the games so much more fun. The audience clapped at hooted for a solid minute.

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Cosmo shouted over the noise.

As Aspen's buzzer rang, he exited the stage and Petunia entered.

The small Asian girl walked out wearing a glittering purple dress that stopped at her knees. To make her look even more innocent, a pair of shimmering pixie wings had been placed upon her back. Her jet black hair had been braided into her signature twin pigtail braids. She looked like a little doll.

She shook Cosmo's hand cautiously, nervously looking out towards the clapping crowd. Their cheers were deafening and they were all so unnatural looking, with their bright clothes and plastic surgery. She tried to ignore them and only focus on Cosmo, who seemed like a nice guy.

"Hi." She smiled shyly as they took a seat.

"Hello!" Cosmo smiled. "It's great to finally meet you. I've heard many good things about you from your ally, Aspen."

Petunia nodded, remembering her sweet ally.

"So how are you liking the capitol so far?" Cosmo asked.

"It's nice." Petunia nodded. "But I like District Seven better."

Cosmo laughed. "Oh? Well, at least she's honest, folks!" He called out to the crowd.

The crowd roared in laughter as well.

"Now Petunia, tell us about home." Cosmo said, cupping his head in his hand.

"Okay, well I have a mom and a dad and we live in a.. house." She said, not sure where she should go with it.

"No brothers or sisters?" Cosmo asked, curious.

Suddenly her insides fell. She hadn't spoke about her brother in years.

"Well I used to to have an older brother, but he died a few years ago." Petunia said sadly.

"Oh dear, what happened to him?" Cosmo asked with sudden concern.

"He drowned." Petunia began. "He was with a few friends when the storm started. They were playing in the river and when the rain started coming, all of his friends ran home and left Johnny there in the river. The current picked up and the rain got heavier and he wasn't that great of a swimmer in the first place... That's how he died." Petunia said softy. She really hated talking about Johnny, but perhaps it would win her and Aspen a few sponsors.

"Love, I'm so sorry." Cosmo said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Petunia said, tears in her eyes. "If that's okay."

"Of course, dear." Cosmo said sympathetically.

Her interview carried on, just a little more melancholy than before. She answered all of Cosmo's questions, but there was a certain sadness in her voice that made it harder to listen to. As her buzzer rang, she had all of Panem clutching their hearts.

Up next, Rory walked onstage and the mood in the auditorium immediately picked up. He wore a dark, navy blue vest and pants, with black dress shoes. He shook Cosmo's hand nervously and sat down across from him.

"Mr. Rivera, it is a pleasure to meet you!" Cosmo grinned.

Rory nodded. "Thanks."

"So let's get started, shall we?" Cosmo began. "Who was that girl fighting off the peacekeepers at your reaping? I think that's what we all want to know."

"That was my..." Rory began, but looked around the auditorium to see clips of Serra punching the peacekeepers left and right. Now if this wasn't embarrassing, then nothing was. "That was my sister."

Cosmo nodded. "And what is she like?" He asked, curious.

Rory shrugged. "She's alright... Actually she's a bit of a trouble maker."

"Oh? In what way?" Cosmo asked with raised eyebrows.

Rory cracked a smile at one memory in particular. "Well one time in her chemistry class, a girl was talkin' shit and she set her hair on fire." He said as his smile grew wider. "She got expelled from that school, but she says it was worth it."

Cosmo laughed heartily. "I guess you could say she's a firestarter." He smiled.

Rory laughed a little too. "Yeah, I guess."

"Now let's move onto you. You are right in the middle of the rankings so far. How does that feel?" Cosmo asked.

Rory shrugged again. "I don't really care about the rankings." He began. "They don't determine who wins and they really don't effect the outcome of the games, so I'm okay with being in the middle of the pack."

Cosmo nodded. "Well that's one way to look at it. What are your plans for the games?" He asked.

"Me, Sully, and Lithium are a team. I think they are pretty trustworthy, at least I hope they are." Rory replied.

"Now tell me this- if one of them did betray you and was trying to kill you, what would you do?" Cosmo asked, interested.

Rory looked at him. "Well I'd have to kill them first. If I want to live, then my options are pretty much nonexistent."

Just then, his buzzer rang and he exited the stage.

As he left, Flora entered.

She walked onstage wearing a modest light blue dress that went down to her knees and her hair was pinned up into a nice side bun. She smiled shyly at Cosmo as she shook his hand and sat down.

"Miss Costello, I'm so exited to finally meet you!" Cosmo grinned as he sat down across from her.

Flora nodded. "It's nice to meet you too."

"So how has the capitol been treating you so far?" Cosmo asked.

Flora shrugged. "Alright, I guess. I'd rather be home though." She said honestly.

"A family girl, aye?" Cosmo asked.

"Yes, I love my brothers and sisters." Flora nodded, smiling softly. "They're my whole life."

"Aw that's sweet, dear. How many of them are there?" Cosmo asked, interested.

"Five, including myself. I used to have an older brother but he died in the fourteenth games. Perhaps you remember him. Does Alex Costello ring a bell?" She asked.

Cosmo furrowed his brow, thinking. "Alex... Alex, hmm... Ah, yes! I remember him." Cosmo said jovially. "He made it to the top five, didn't he?"

Flora nodded. "He was so close to coming home too." She sighed sadly.

"You look like him, you know. You two have the same brown eyes." Cosmo pointed out.

Nostalgia filled Flora's heart. She missed her older brother so much sometimes that it hurt. He was her protecter, her shield. When he was taken away, her whole world fell apart. Mom got sick and there was no one left to take care of the kids, so Flora had to take on that role. If she died in the arena, her two little brothers, Julian and Andrew, would have to take on the role of leaders of their pack. She couldn't bear to imagine that. They were only fourteen.

A tear fell down Flora's cheek at the memory of Alex. "He should have won." She muttered.

Flora's interview went on and when her buzzer rang, she walked off stage and Lyle from District Nine entered.

He looked around him with wide eyes, terrified of being in front of so many people. He knew his interview was going to be a train wreck, he just hoped it would end quickly.

"Hello, Lyle!" Cosmo called out as he waved him over.

Lyle avoided shaking Cosmo's hand and went right into his seat and sunk into it, hoping to hide himself from all the people here.

"Someone seems a little shy." Cosmo laughed as he sat down across from him.

Lyle tried to laugh along, but it came out more like an inaudible squeak.

"So tell me, what are your plans for the games?" Cosmo asked. "I hear your in an alliance."

Lyle thought back to his three allies, Cherry, Haven, and Lorelei. He liked them all. Sure, he was shy and socially inept, but his new friends didn't seem to mind.

"I-I'm sticking w-with my allies." Lyle stuttered.

Cosmo nodded, not pushing him for more of a response. "That seems like a good plan." He said.

Lyle nodded along, not sure what to say back. He twiddled his thumbs nervously and tried not to look at the crowd.

"So what is home like?" Cosmo asked, moving on to a new topic.

"I, uh, I live with m-my dad and my dog in a house in th-the hills of District N-Nine." Lyle said.

"Oh you have a dog? What kind?" Cosmo asked attentively.

"A german shepherd." Lyle replied nervously. "H-he's my best friend."

There was an audible "Aw" from the crowd and Lyle turned warm and red. Should he have said that? Probably not.

"Um, can I leave now?" Lyle asked suddenly.

Cosmo laughed loudly. "Son, we still have a few minutes left!" Cosmo laughed.

"Oh." Lyle mumbled. "Sorry."

Lyle's interview carried on awkwardly as Cosmo asked him more open ended questions and he answered as honestly as possible. When his buzzer rang, he let out a sigh of relief and shot off the stage.

As Lyle left, his district partner entered.

Cherry walked onstage wearing a tight red pin-up dress with black high heels. Her black hair was done in flowing old hollywood styled curls and she wore red lipstick.

"Cherry, you look fabulous!" Cosmo called out to her as she approached.

Cherry just smiled, feeling unsure. As she sat down, Cosmo sat down across from her and smiled.

"So how have things been going lately?" Cosmo asked, starting off the interview.

Such a simple question, but it required Cherry so much thought to get out an acceptable answer. "Um, good?" She said. "I'm good."

Cosmo nodded, still smiling. "Now lets talk about the Hunger Games, dear. What is your plan for the duration of the games?" Cosmo asked.

"I'm going to stick it out with my allies, same thing Lyle said." Cherry said, shrugging.

Cosmo smiled again and began to ask another question, but Cherry just couldn't bottle up her curiousness no more. "You sure do smile a lot." She said suddenly. "Doesn't that hurt your face? It would hurt mine." She blurted out.

She immediately jumped at her own words. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud." She said too fast.

Cosmo laughed out loud. "It's quite alright, dear" He said. He laughed again and continued the interview. Cherry's interview went on tensely with her trying not to blurt out anything indecent again. When her buzzer rang, she exited the stage and Haven came on.

Haven walked out wearing a pair of khaki pants and a light blue flannel shirt. His loose curly hair had been slicked back, revealing his sparkling blue eyes. He shook Cosmo's hand happily and sat down across from him.

"Good evening, Cosmo." Haven smiled, trying to be polite.

"Hello Haven, how are you doing tonight?" Cosmo asked, retuning his smile.

Haven shrugged. "A little nervous for tomorrow, but overall I'm doing alright."

Cosmo nodded. "Now when I watched your reaping, I must admit, I thought you might have an attitude. You seem pretty nice, though... So which one is the real Haven?" He asked curiously.

"The nice one. You see, my horse was supposed to give birth that day and I was like really excited to see the colt, and for me to be reaped in that day just surprised me. I didn't know how to handle it, sorry I got mad." He explained, shrugging. "I don't have an attitude." He added, laughing.

"That's good to know. So I have spoken to two of your allies so far. What do you personally think of them?" Cosmo asked

"I like them. Cherry and Lyle are a bit awkward and Lorelei could be more outgoing, but when you put us four together, we work well as a team." Haven said, using hand motions.

Haven continued to compliment his allies and talk about the capitol fondly, being very considerate and polite. Surely this would rack him up a few sponsors. As his interview ended, he left the stage and received a massive amount of applause.

Lorelei walked out next, wearing a pale pink baby doll dress and a pair of white pumps. Her light blonde hair had been curled into loose waves and she wore glittering white eyeshadow.

"Hello Lorelei. How are you?" Cosmo asked as they sat down.

Lorelei shrugged. "So so." She said nonchalantly.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" Cosmo asked, leaning closer.

"Well yeah, a little, but I have a feeling I'll pull through." Lorelei said, smiling a little bit.

"Really? How so?" Cosmo asked.

"I'm strong and fast, plus I have a pretty good alliance going on." Lorelei shrugged.

"Well I can't deny that. So your score of six was pretty impressive. How did you manage to receive that?" Cosmo asked.

Lorelei shrugged, thinking. "I played up my strengths. Simple."

Her interviewed continued with her giving Cosmo barely any personality or anything special. As her buzzer rang, she walked off stage casually and sat next to Haven on the sidelines. Her interview was sub par, soon to be forgotten.

"Up next we have Teddy Nelson. Panem, help us welcome him!" Cosmo boomed.

Teddy walked out looking afraid, but still managed to wave to the crowd. He shook Cosmo's hand and sat down across from him.

"Good evening sir, how are you doing?" Cosmo asked.

"Not too great." Teddy mumbled, looking down.

"Really? Why not?"

"I'm just really nervous for the games tomorrow." Teddy said, looking up at Cosmo. "There are so many things going against me, I just hope I'm not the first to die." He answered honestly.

"I'm sure you won't be, son. But I must ask, what happened to your eye?" Cosmo asked, referring to the bruise under it.

Teddy touched his face and all the memories came flooding back. His mother's fist, him crying, Lily yelling at her to stop. It all became too much to think about and his lip began to quiver.

Seeing this, Cosmo quickly saved himself. "I see that is a tough question. Let's move on, okay?" He suggested.

Teddy nodded.

"So who are you going to miss the most from home?" Cosmo asked.

"My sister, Lily. She's always been my protector and I love her with all my heart. I really hope I can come back to her, then we can live in the Victor's Village together." Teddy said, longing filling his voice.

"That is sweet, Teddy." Cosmo said, clutching his heart. "Is there anything you'd like to say to Lily?" He asked in a low voice.

Teddy looked into the camera and smiled sadly. "I'm gonna try to win, Lily. Just hang in there until I get back." He said evenly. "I love you."

Just then, his buzzer rang and he exited the stage, receiving a large amount of applause. His sob story had definitely won him over some sponsors.

"Up next we have a very special young lady- Miss Talulah Cooper!" Cosmo cried out happily.

Talulah walked onstage wearing a golden maxi dress that matched her tan skin and bronze hair quite well. On her head she wore a golden wreath-like headband. She looked like a goddess.

"Hi Cosmo." She grinned as she shook his hand.

"Hello, dear. You look absolutely beautiful!" He complimented her.

"Thanks, you look pretty nice yourself." Talulah replied as she sat down.

"So Talulah, lets jump right in. I heard that you're going into the games without any allies... How come?" Cosmo asked.

"It's just not worth it, Cosmo." She sighed dramatically. "I'd rather watch my own back than risk having someone stab me in my sleep." She shrugged.

"That's a smart idea, dear. So what is your strategy for the games then?" Cosmo asked curiously.

"I'm gonna stick out alone and try to win. I'm a survivor, I can do it." She smiled. "I'm from District Eleven, of course I can win." She added.

Cosmo smiled. "Now that's what we like to hear!" He clapped. The crowd joined in with him and Talulah grinned.

By the time Talulah's interview was over, she had gained quite a few sponsors. Her confidence and good looks had won over several capitolites and raised her overall ranking.

When she exited, Sully entered.

"Hi Cosmo." He said as he walked right past him. "Bye Cosmo." He said as he walked off the stage. His interview lasted about ten seconds. In the front row, several past victors guffawed.

"Well that was quick!" Cosmo said, recovering quickly. "Last but not least, we have the lovely Adelaide Quick!" He called out.

Adelaide walked onstage wearing a simple yellow sundress and a pair of white pumps. Her long blonde hair had been straightened and she wore a heavy cat eye.

"Good evening, dear. How are you?" Cosmo asked.

"I'm better than ever." Adelaide smiled.

"How has the capitol been treating you?" Cosmo asked, moving along.

"Alright, but if it's okay with you, I'd like to talk Hunger Games." She said eagerly.

Cosmo laughed heartily. "That is quite alright. So what is your plan for the bloodbath?" He asked.

Adelaide smiled. "I'm going to be aggressive in there. Even though I won't let you know my secret plan, I will let you know that everyone better watch out." She said confidently.

"You're really sure of yourself! How do you plan to stay alive?" Cosmo asked.

"Easy, I'm going to kill or be killed. You can't win without killing, and that's what I intend to do. Sure, I'm only fourteen, but I've got skill too." She said evenly.

At some point, her interview ended on a good note and she walked off stage.

Cosmo rose from his chair and brought the microphone to his lips. "Well that does it for us tonight, Panem. Join us tomorrow for the tributes' big launch into the arena and the beginning of the Nineteenth Annual Hunger Games!" Cosmo boomed. "Goodnight everyone."

* * *

**A/N: i hate writing interviews. that is all.**


	23. The Calm Before The Storm

Cain could feel his whole body trembling as he darted down the hallway and back to the tribute headquarters. His eyes flickered around, looking for the elevator. That had been the scariest experience in his life and he couldn't stop himself from shaking so bad. Nobody would ever understand his anxiety.

As he finally reached the elevator, it opened to reveal his district partner, Lithium, inside of it too.

"Going up?" She asked.

Cain nodded, hopping in.

As the elevator rose up to the third floor, Cain and Lithium made eye contact a few times.

Finally, Lithium broke the silence. "You did well tonight." She said nicely

Cain jumped a little bit, but steadied himself. "Th-thanks." He stuttered.

"You know, you could joking my alliance if you want, Cain." She offered, looking right at him. "I know you're all alone."

Cain didn't even consider it. "N-no, it's okay." He said, trying to turn her down as politely as he could. He didn't want any allies, he never even let the idea cross his mind. He had always worked best alone and he wouldn't want to slow Lithium down anyways.

"Well, if we run into each other in the arena..." Lithium continued, ignoring that Cain was uncomfortable. "I'd rather it be as friends. If we are to meet again, maybe you'll reconsider my offer, okay?"

Cain nodded. "Okay."

He wasn't sure what he just agreed to, but he just needed to get out of this conversation as quick as possible. As the elevator reached the third floor, the light lit up and a bell dinged. The doors slid open and Cain shot out of the elevator and into his room, closing the door behind him.

Behind him, a sly smile stretched across Lithium's face.

* * *

A few hours later, in District Ten's luxury suite, two figures lay on the bed, both awake. The boy was resting his head on the pillows, eyes focused on the dark ceiling. The girl had a few pillows under her back, propping her up slightly.

"I don't want to do this." Haven said softly as he stared into the darkness.

Lorelei closed her eyes. "I don't either."

A few more minutes passed by, slow and silent. This whole thing was so nightmarish, stealing their lives away like this. They both had so much planned for their futures back home and now, just like that, it was all about to be taken away. Sometimes Haven felt to cry, but he beginning to feel numb.

"Remember our plan, none of us are going to the cornucopia." Haven said evenly.

Lorelei sighed. "I might. I mean, If my spear is within reach then I'm going to have to get it."

"That wasn't our pl-" Haven began.

"We might need a few weapons, you know." Lorelei said flatly.

Lorelei was very stubborn, he learned. If you were to tell her not to do something and she wanted to, she wouldn't argue with you, she would just do it anyway. That would be a trouble when they got into the arena because it just might end up getting her killed.

"Whatever." Haven sighed as he rolled onto his side.

* * *

Marina splashed cold water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror. It was well past midnight by now, probably some ungodly hour of the morning, but her eyelids just wouldn't grow heavy.

She had showered twice, washing every last particle of makeup off her face. Marina thought that hot showers were supposed to make you tired, but they seemed to have the opposite effect. She had never felt more awake.

She just couldn't escape the lingering fear that she might be dead in a month. She knew her alliance with the careers was supposed to keep her safe for a while, but what happened after that? She was almost certain that one of her "allies" would be her killer. That's how it typically worked with the careers- they stuck together for the first half or so of the games, then they turned on each other. It had happened so many times before, Marina knew it would be the case again this year.

Drying off her face, she sighed heavily. She just _needed_ to make it back to her family. She made a promise to the academy, herself, and most importantly, Oceana. She needed to live, even if it meant everyone else's death. Perhaps it was selfish, and if if was, then she would just have to be a selfish person for the next few weeks.

After another hour or so, the sun began to peek over the horizon.

The games would start today and she wasn't ready.

* * *

"Up, up up! Today is the big day, Sullivan!" Marigold, the escort, cooed as she clapped her hands together quickly.

Sully growled as he rolled over onto his face, getting comfortable in bed. Screw the Hunger Games, he was going back to sleep.

With a _whoosh_, the covers suddenly disappeared and Sully was left lying in his bed in nothing but his boxers. The wind brushed over his bare chest and made him shiver.

"What did you do that for?" He yelled at his escort, suddenly feeling angry.

"Let's get moving!" She chirped as she spun around and exited the room.

With a frown, Sully swung his legs over the side of the bed and landed on his feet. He tiredly got dressed and tripped out the door.

In the lounge, an elaborate meal had been laid out across the table. Eggs, toast, bacon, sugared fruits and pastries, french toast, and more things that Sully didn't recognize were set on the table just for them.

"I'd eat a lot if I were you." A girl's voice said from in front of him. Sully looked up to see Adelaide sitting across from him with a massive stack of food on her plate. "I don't know where your next meal will be coming from." She said.

"Good idea." Sully said as he sat down and began to pile up his plate.

Before the two knew it, it was time to go. They were escorted to the elevator by Marigold and were taken to the rooftop towards the hovercraft.

The rest of the morning was a blur for Sully. As the doors peeled open on the rooftop, the chilly morning air brushed past him and blew back his shaggy black hair. The tributes were lead onto the hovercraft one by one, all taking one final look at the Capitol.

Sully and Adelaide were the last to board the hovercraft, being from District Twelve. Inside, the air conditioning was cold and no one spoke. Attendants went around securing tributes into their seats and injecting trackers into their arms.

Sully secured himself in the metal seat and took a deep breath. He wondered which one of these tributes would be his killer.

The engine whirred, and with a jolt, the hovercraft lifted up into the air. Across from Sully, Ike watched the capitol disappear into the rocky landscape as they flew south to their destination. After about ten more minutes, Ike tried to look out the window again, but it had been tinted, preventing him from being able to see where they were going.

In the middle of the the row, Freddie stared hopelessly at the blinking device under his skin. This was real now. He felt hollow. The bloodbath felt like such an impending death for him, he just wanted to get it over with. His thoughts were flying around his head so fast, he couldn't grasp one. Maybe if he survived the bloodbath, he would be able to make a plan.

The ride dragged on for hours. Some of the tributes were smart and settled in for a nap, while the others just sat their silently. With every passing minute, Wisteria grew more and more anxious. What would the arena be like? Who would die in the bloodbath? Would she die in the bloodbath? All of her questions were about to be answered.

Eventually, the hovercraft came to a soft halt and descended into in underground room. When the engine stopped whirring, the hovercraft settled and the doors slid open. The tributes unbuckled their seat belts and filed out of the hovercraft one by one.

The launch room was chilly, made of cement walls and floors. Everything was eerie and dimly lit.

Aspen followed Petunia down several hallways until they found their stylists standing by their rooms.

"See you soon." Aspen said evenly as he followed his stylist, Gemini, into their room. He waved goodbye to Petunia and the doors closed behind him.

The room he was in was made of marble floors with a few chairs and benches, but the only prominent thing in Aspen's mind was that empty tube in the corner of the room. That would be what would transport him up and into the arena.

When he turned back towards Gemini, she was examining his arena clothes, which had been folded neatly and put into a cardboard box.

"What have they got for me?" He sighed.

"A white cotton t-shirt, high waisted black spandex pants, socks, and tennis shoes." She replied as she studied the clothes. They seemed normal enough.

"What does that suggest?" Aspen asked as he changed into the clothes.

"The thin shirt suggests warm to average weather, so I wouldn't be worried about them throwing you into a blizzard. The tennis shoes suggest a lot of walking, possibly climbing." Gemini observed with narrowed eyes, trying to figure it out. "I don't know, Aspen. It could be anything."

Aspen nodded, starting to shake. "Gemini, I'm so afraid." He said honestly.

"I know. Just try to focus on the prize, honey." She advised.

"I-I can't even think straight. I feel like I have jello bones." Aspen was beginning to shake so bad that Gemini crossed the gap and gave him a long hug.

Suddenly, there was static in the intercom. "Thirty seconds." A dead, monotone voice said.

Gemini let him go and nodded. "It's time." She said softly.

Aspen's eyes grew wide and his chin began to tremble. "But- but we just got here." He said, beginning to panic.

"I guess their in a hurry to start." Gemini shrugged.

Aspen took a deep breath and turned around. He walked to the tube and stepped inside cautiously.

"Knock 'em dead." Gemini said. "Literally."

"I'll try." Aspen replied. "Bye, Gem."

Suddenly, the glass doors sealed shut and Aspen was surrounded by silence as the tube began to rise into the arena.

* * *

**A/N: are you ready? ARE YOU READY? The bloodbath is next!**

**I have a couple of questions-**

**1\. Who do you think will die in the bloodbath?**

**2\. Who do you want to survive the bloodbath?**

**3\. What do you think the arena is?**


	24. The Bloodbath

As the tube rose into the arena, Talulah slowly clenched and unclenched her fists, shuddering when she felt the air change. The metal plate clicked into place and her breath hitched. Trying to steady her breathing, she finally peeled open her eyes. At first everything within view was blindingly bright, but as her eyes adjusted, she scanned her surroundings.

There were colorful rides sprouting up all over the place. In the distance, she thought she could make out a Ferris wheel, spinning slowly. The cornucopia was about twenty feet in front of her on solid, concrete ground. It seemed as if there was a clearing specifically for the cornucopia and the escape routes were weaved into the amusement park. The whole arena was bathed in sunshine, light and warm.

This amusement park was huge, every inch of it brand new and freshly scrubbed.

Inside of the cornucopia, a timer was counting down from sixty. A monotone voice was speaking in rhythm, devoid of all human emotion. Sixty seconds. sixty seconds until they could let loose and murder each other. It was time and Talulah wasn't ready.

60...

59...

58...

Velvet looked around herself calmly. An amusement park, very creative. She liked creative. This place was huge, the entire premises sealed in by a tall solid fence. No one could see what was the other side, it was at least fifty feet tall. She scanned the tributes around her, finding Knives four down. She caught her eye and Knives smiled a little bit. Velvet smiled back. This was going to be good.

55...

54..

Freddie was feeling alert, having skipped drowning himself in vodka last night. The other tributes probably just thought he was some stupid stoner, but they were wrong. Freddie was actually quite smart when he was clean and no one else knew that. The downside to this was that without any drugs or alcohol to hide behind, the nerves were really getting to him. He could feel his knees trembling slightly and his heart was pounding in his chest. He would never be ready for this, but the time had come. He hoped Mitch was watching.

50...

49...

48...

Raegan dropped into an athletic crouch. He was ready to launch himself into the heart of the cornucopia as soon as the gong rang. With a smirk, he turned to the tribute beside him- the little boy from Nine- and hissed. The little boy flinched and looked away, terrified. Raegan let out a mean laugh. These tributes were nothing compared to him. He had this thing in the bag.

43...

42...

Teddy could barely breathe. He was going to die, he was going to die! His thoughts seemed to be bouncing around the walls of his brain at hyper speed. The only thing he could register was that he only had about a minute left to live. His heart had never beaten so fast and he had never trembled so hard. This was truly the end.

39...

38...

Feeling the fear in the air, Lorelei leaned forward. The countdown had begun. Once that gong rang, there would be no more playing nice. They would kill each other, They really _would_ kill each other. She wasn't scared though, she was fast, she knew could get in and out of the cornucopia unscathed if she played her cards right. Scanning the cornucopia, she laid eyes on a silver spear right in the mouth. _That's mine._

35...

On the other side of the cornucopia, Adelaide focused in on the same spear.

34...

33..

Haven sighed as he saw Lorelei look at the spear like that. He knew what she was thinking and now he'd have to bodyguard her when she went running for it. He looked around for his other two allies. He had to crane his head to find Lyle, squatting on his plate with his knees hugged up against his chest. He looked like he was about to be sick. Haven flashed him a thumbs up to try and get him motivated, but it didn't work. He tried to find Cherry, but he couldn't do that either. She must have been opposite of him, hidden by the cornucopia. He hoped that they could pull together and escape with their lives, because at this rate, they'd all be dead before the bloodbath was over.

29...

28...

Aspen looked around wildly trying to find Petunia. He was so afraid for the two of them. They were so young, so small. How would they pull it off? When his eyes finally found her, seven plates down from him, she was already looking at him. She nodded towards a purple backpack about ten feet to his left. He knew he needed to get that.

27...

26...

Kramer was calm. People like him didn't die at the beginning. Scanning the others, he accidentally caught sight of the two twelve year olds from Seven and had the strangest urge to help them survive the bloodbath. With narrowed eyes, he focused in on his own survival and flicked his gaze towards the cornucopia. That vest of throwing knives on the back wall had his name written all over it.

24...

25...

Rory felt relief flood his whole body when he saw Sully right next to him. He caught his eye and nodded at him. He had two allies that could help him and he had Serra's advice in the back of his head. _You can do this_, he thought, trying to get himself pumped up.

23...

22...

Cherry's insides were squirming with panic. She could vaguely see Lyle, sitting on his platform. Everything was obscured by pulsating dots in her vision. Closing her eyes, she tried to swallow her fear, but she just couldn't. She tried to focus her ears in on the timer, but all she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears. She was wasting time. Her eyes flew back open and her nostrils flared in terror. This is happening! Right now!

19...

18...

Salome glanced around her. Next to her was the scarlet haired boy from District One- the one who rejected the careers- and on the other side of her was the large boy from District Four. Two very strong competitors were encircling her. Deep down, she was nervous, but she had her confident mask on tight, wanting to believe that she could do it. She looked at her ally, Flora, and hoped she remembered their plan.

17...

16...

Ike breathed in deeply through his nose and let it out through his mouth. _Calm down!_ he yelled at himself internally. He couldn't lie though, he was panicking. He brushed his blonde hair out of his face and tried to steady his legs. _I just need to get out of here._

15...

Wisteria on the other hand, was cool, calm, and collected. She had already counted her strengths. She was small, fast, and light. She had advantages that the others did not. She was also clever. Wisteria had thought about many backpacks during the countdown, but she was also thinking about the cornucopia. These were decisions that would be made once the gong rang.

13...

12...

Flora slowly moved her hair over her shoulder and turned towards Salome. She had told Flora to gather backpacks while she got weapons from the cornucopia. Flora planned to remain loyal to that plan, but she was still scared for the two of them. They could die, they could really die this time.

11...

10...

Jude was ready. Nothing could shake his confidence right now. He felt strong. He felt powerful. He felt in control. Jude just wanted to wind his hands around those hooked knives already. He lifted his chin higher in the air and stood a bit taller. This was his to win, and no one would get in the way. He could feel the adrenaline pumping inside of him. The games were about to begin.

8...

7...

Cain was shaking like a leaf. He tried to breathe deeply, but his breaths were shuddering and full of fear. What if he died? This could be his final minute left on earth. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die!

6...

5...

Marina looked around nervously. She had nothing to be afraid of, after all, she was a career. But there was still Kramer, who was an undeniable threat. She could just catch a glimpse of her trident in the very back of the cornucopia. At the last second, she decided that she wanted to keep it spotless.

4...

Lithium looked around and smirked. None of her allies knew about her. None of these tributes knew what she was capable of. She had controlled herself for so long and now she finally could kill without being thrown into jail. She narrowed her eyes in on one boy in particular. He would be her first kill here.

3...

2...

1...

Just like that, tributes went flying in all different directions. Some went for the cornucopia, some ran for safety, some just stood there, panicking.

Kramer was the first to reach the cornucopia. His hands yanked the vest of throwing knives off of the wall and he shoved them into his pants. He also grabbed a pair of twin daggers and a long, slick knife out of the back. In his free remaining hand, he heaved a heavy white backpack out of the mouth of the cornucopia and strapped it onto his shoulder, before running out.

Kramer saw that the girl from Eight was scrambling towards a light blue backpack and he took that opportunity to wheel himself in her direction. She saw him coming, but she was just a second too late. Kramer whipped out his hand with deadly accuracy and threw a throwing knife right at her. It directly pierced her heart.

Flora's eyes grew wide and she swayed on her knees before she fell to the ground, dead.

He yanked it out mercilessly and kept going.

As soon as the gong rang, Cain turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could out of the opening and into the maze of rides. No supplies were worth losing his life over. He didn't even see the first death because he was gone so fast. Cain escaped, alive.

The same could not be said for Teddy from Eleven. In a wave of panic, he had decided to run for the cornucopia. He didn't know what else to do, he was so scared. Right as he reached the inside of the mouth, he felt strong hands grab his neck from behind. He felt his heart leap into his throat as his fate closed in on him. He had been caught, and in that very second, he knew it was over. _Sorry Lily_, he thought one last time. Then the hands clasped tighter around his throat and jerked his head to the side in one swift motion.

His death was instant.

Wisteria had been debating whether or not she wanted to go to the cornucopia, but after seeing Teddy get his neck snapped by Jude a few moments ago, the idea was completely wiped from her mind. Instead of heading for the cornucopia, she ran in the opposite direction, fleeing the bloodbath completely. Freddie and Talulah did the same.

Lorelei sprinted towards the cornucopia, eyes set on that spear. It was sitting right in the mouth of the cornucopia, just waiting for her. She knew she could get it. As her hands gripped it, other fingers caught if as well. Lorelei looked up to see the girl from District Twelve, a dominant glint in her eyes as she yanked it towards herself.

Lorelei yanked it back towards her, trying to free it, when suddenly, Adelaide coughed, blood spilling out of her mouth. It was only when she fell, did Lorelei see the girl from One, Velvet, standing behind her with a set of throwing knives. Lorelei looked down at Adelaide's dead body and saw a small knife sticking out of her neck.

Velvet was going back for another knife when Lorelei suddenly saw Haven enter her line of vision, running right for Velvet.

Haven lunged forward, body-slamming the career, sending her flying backwards into the cornucopia.

Haven's eyes suddenly turned wild. "Move!" he commanded in a powerful voice.

Without thinking, Lorelei spun around, coming face to face with Raegan Pike's piercing brown eyes. She shrieked as he tried to clamp his hands around her, but she ducked beneath him and he missed. Coming back up, Lorelei punched him hard in the face before she turned and fled, Haven close behind

Raegan decided against pursuing them and rubbed his throbbing jaw instead.

On the other side of the cornucopia, Jude prowled the girl from Nine, hooked knives in his hands. Her name was Cherry if he remembered correctly. She had a red backpack clutched in her hand and was running for the left side of the park, where the tributes from Ten were headed.

He was just close enough to kill her when Velvet's voice rang out. "Jude!"

Cherry whipped around quick, catching Jude red handed trying to kill her. With the fear of a wild rabbit, she sprinted even faster towards the park, leaving a Jude in the dust. He growled as he turned towards Velvet, infuriated that she made him lose a kill.

Knives knew she needed to kill. She needed to kill someone to seal her deal with this alliance. That was when she saw the little boy from Nine, still crouching on his plate. He didn't even see her as she snuck up from behind and put the knife to his throat. He audibly gasped. Knives knew right then and there she couldn't just kill him in cold blood.

"Look, Lyle is it?" She asked shakily.

"Y-yes." He squeaked.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to do this. I'll make this as quick as possible."

He took a second to respond, probably trying to process it. Inside his head, Lyle knew it was over from the moment he got reaped. He was always going to die, it was just a matter of time. When Knives pressed that weapon to his throat, he accepted it on the spot, it was just the shock of it actually happening.

Lyle nodded. "P-please, just don't make it hurt."

"I won't, and again, I'm sorry." Knives replied. And with that, she slit the knife across Lyle's throat quickly and he dropped, dead.

When Salome saw Flora crumple, she almost froze. She knew she couldn't though. She needed to keep going. Salome ran for the backpacks she had set her sights on during the countdown and grabbed them as fast as she could. As she ran, she looked back at Flora one last time and silently vowed to win for her.

Kramer was still around, waiting for more kills. He didn't plan on fleeing the bloodbath just yet.

The boy from Twelve came a bit too close and Kramer tripped him, causing to go sprawling out on the ground.

Sully instantly twisted himself around, coming face to face with his attacker. He growled under his death and lunged for Kramer. With a thud, the two boys fell onto the concrete ground and started punching each other. It was a brutal fight, but Kramer soon grew tired of it.

"I. Don't. Have. Time. For. This." Kramer growled darkly as he shoved Sully off of him.

Sully fell onto the ground and Kramer yanked his knife out of his pants with deadly speed. As Sully realized he was about to be stabbed, his eyes grew wide and he tried to get away.

Kramer was too fast, though.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent the throwing knife flying into Sully's spine.

Blood dripped from Sully's back as he slumped to the ground, lifeless

Rubbing his pounding jaw, he decided he was ready to leave. He had just turned when suddenly, a child's shriek pierced the air. Kramer instinctively whipped his head around to find Petunia and Aspen being trailed by Raegan from District Four. Even surprising himself, Kramer found himself lunging for the hulking tribute. With a leap, Kramer outstretched his free arm towards Raegan and landed.

Kramer jammed the blade of his long, slick knife into the back of Raegan's neck, right through his throat.

Blood gurgled out of Raegan's mouth as he dropped.

Blackness swarmed behind Raegan's eyes as he watched Kramer turn away. He wanted to scream. But he couldn't. His throat had been impaled. He just couldn't believe that he had lost the battle so soon.

Looking at each other in shock, Petunia and Aspen decided to follow Kramer's retreating figure into the amusement park. Kramer turned around towards them quickly, his weapons, dripping blood.

"Don't follow me, I can't be responsible for you." Kramer called to them as he pivoted on his heel, running away. Aspen and Petunia decided to turn back and retrieve their dropped backpack that almost cost them their lives instead, and run towards the opposite side of the park, obeying Kramer. A ghost of a smile crossed Aspen's lips as one thing came to mind- Lucius Kramer had just saved their lives.

Rory wanted to cry out when he saw Sully fall, but he refrained. He still had to find Lithium. He would mourn Sully when he was safe, but for now he needed to find his other ally. He had picked up two backpacks, just like they had planned, but Lithium was supposed be here already. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lithium's long blonde hair swinging in the breeze. Rory was just about ready to call out her name when he saw something that made his heart drop.

Lithium was backing the District Six boy up against a wall, taunting his name. He looked ready to cry. Rory's eyes grew wide as Lithium swiveled around Ike's kicking legs and jammed the cruel blade right into his heart. She yanked it out mercilessly and smiled at the sight of his blood. Rory couldn't believe his eyes. Did she just kill him? And... Smile? Rory couldn't take no more. He turned and fled with the backpacks in tow, leaving Lithium and abandoning their alliance.

Soon, Lithium realized that she was the only one left in the open. In a mad dash, she stopped admiring Ike's blood and took off with her crooked knife and a bag of supplies. Vaguely, she realized that Rory was gone. She had seen Sully get murdered, but to her knowledge, Rory was still alive. Or maybe he wasn't? She shrugged her shoulders as she ran. She'd find out tonight.

And that was it.

All the tributes, besides the careers, were gone. The four careers gathered. Almost instantly, Jude realized someone was missing.

"Um, where is Raegan?" He asked, suspicion leaking into his voice. Had the rat abandoned them?

"He's dead." Knives said, devoid of emotion. "Kramer killed him." She jammed her finger to the left. There he was, laying on the cold, concrete ground with a puddle of red blood around his neck. He really was dead. The guy who was supposed to be the best of the best had died in the bloodbath. How ironic.

"I can't say I expected that." Jude said, surprised. "I thought he was stronger."

"Well, Raegan's death means that I'm one spot closer to victory, so I'm good." Velvet sang. The other three glared at her, but she didn't seem to notice.

Knives shook her head, as if to clear it from her thoughts. "So what do you guys wanna do now? I mean, the bloodbath is clearly over."

"Count our kills? I got the boy from Eleven. Who did you three get?" Jude said, eyeing the girls.

"I got the girl from Twelve." Velvet piped up, raising her hand, proud of becoming a murderer.

"The boy from Nine." Knives replied, looking at her feet. Jude could tell she was unhappy with it.

They were all silent for a moment until Velvet looked at Marina.

"Uh, Marina. You didn't say anything. Who did you kill?" Velvet said nonchalantly.

Marina felt her face heat up as suddenly, three pairs of eyes were on her. They were going to realize that she hadn't gotten any. During the bloodbath, Marina had ran to the back of the cornucopia and hid. She was partially scared of getting killed and partially scared of killing. It wasn't until training that she realized she wasn't a true career. But by then it was too late, of course. She had originally only done this for the money, but it was proving too difficult.

"I, uh, I got no one." Marina managed to say, honestly, not daring to look up.

She could feel Jude's burning glare though. "What do you mean you got no one?" He asked, irritation clear in his voice.

"I, um fought the girl from Ten but she overpowered me. I didn't have, um the, uh chance to kill, you know?" She fumbled. She hadn't really fought Lorelei, but she needed a good story and Lorelei seemed pretty strong.

Velvet shrugged, not feeling the tension. "Oh well, at least you tried, right? There's gonna be a lot more chances to kill, so no big deal. Don't feel bad, Marina."

Jude didn't buy it. He decided to stay quiet though, it was better to have these girls on his side rather than against him.

He had to play the game if he wanted to win.

* * *

**R.I.P. Flora, Teddy, Adelaide, Sully, Raegan, Lyle, and Ike.**

**Flora was one of my favorites and had such a sweet disposition, but i couldn't think of very much to do with her after the bloodbath, so here she is.**

**Teddy was a sweetheart, but it is realistic that someone so small and naive would be a bloodbath, yeah? He was always going to be a bloodbath obituary straight from the gate, so i never bothered to think up another storyline for him. But again, he was a sweetheart and i'll miss him.**

**Adelaide was a little spitfire and she was determined to win. I liked her but i needed more bloodbaths and she just fit the spot.**

**Sully was different and I was crazy about him. His death was necessary for future plots for Rory and Lithium though. If he were to survive, the three would still be in an alliance and it wouldn't work for what i have planned. Sully was a cool dude though.**

**Raegan, yeah so okay, I know he wasn't the nicest guy, but i needed someone like him in this story. And another thing, you probably did not expect him to die so soon, but he was always going to be a bloodbath in my mind. Kramer was always meant to kill him. Maybe he won't be missed as sorely as others, but i liked writing for him.**

**Lyle... You wanna know something? I almost let him live, but then i went back and thought about it and realized that this was where he was always headed anyways. He was so so sweet and likable, but at the same time, too too young and innocent.**

**Ike was a funny guy and i liked him, but once Lithium set her sights on him, he was as good as dead. I always like characters like him because they just lift up your spirits to read about. That's one of the biggest reasons why i think he'll be missed so much.**

**A/N: aaaand that's a wrap on the bloodbath. This was so hard for me to write because I really hated killing off so many great characters. I wrote this all in a single sitting and I need to tell you guys, it was GRUELING. I'm not complaining though. Overall, I like the way this chapter turned out, and I'm very, very sorry if one of your faves died in this chapter. I really liked them all, but I just needed the other guys to rack up some kills.**

**Also, I have some questions for you.**

**Who's death surprised you the most?**

**What do you think of Rory ditching Lithium?**

**Who are your favorite tributes so far?**

**Any suggestions or requests?**


	25. Hide and Seek

Cain ran until his legs physically couldn't carry him anymore, and that was when he finally collapsed. He took in several gasping intakes of air, trying to catch his breath as he sat with his head between his legs. When his heart rate had finally calmed down, he looked around himself.

He was in an amusement park. Down where he was, the rides were smaller and painted in happy pastel colors. He looked to this section's entrance and read the sign. _Kiddie Park_, it read.

Cain sighed. Hopefully no one else was here.

That was when everything came flooding back to him. He would be fighting for his life in the next few weeks and that in itself scared him senseless. Cain was a naturally nervous guy, but the Hunger Games sent his anxiety through the roof.

Right then and there was when he broke down. A few tears spilled over and the rest followed. For nearly ten minutes, heavy sobs racked his fragile body as he rocked back and forth on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest. He knew he had no chance at winning. He was hopeless when it came to fighting, so it would only be a matter of time before he died.

When he was finally done wallowing in self pity, he wiped the tears off his face and he stood up. He needed to find a place to hide.

Cain looked over his shoulder several times as he walked through the kiddie park, checking for attackers. Every time though, he saw that there was no one trailing him. He was very much alone.

He finally settled on camping in one of the mini roller coaster's ticket booths. All of the rides had oversized ticket booths next to their entrances, a great place for shelter. Cain had no supplies to look through, so he just curled up into a ball on the ground.

That was when a horrible realization hit him.

He had no supplies. That meant he would need to go back to the cornucopia, which was probably taken over by the careers. He lurched into a sitting position, eyes wide. He would surely starve to death before the games were over at this rate. Oh, how he regretted not grabbing a backpack at the bloodbath.

He knew one thing for sure- he would need to go back to the cornucopia soon.

* * *

Meanwhile, down by the boardwalk, Freddie slowed down his run to a slow jog.

He was also one of the tributes not to get any supplies at the bloodbath. As he walked empty handed along the wooden boardwalk, he let his mind wander back to Mitch.

He hoped Mitch had watched him escape, that he wasn't worried for him. Freddie had every intention of getting home, he just had to make a plan on how he would do it. Her knew one thing away for sure, he wouldn't become a ruthless murder to win. He would only kill when provoked, but first he needed a weapon. Unless he wanted to use strangulation as his weapon of choice, but the thought of feeling someone's neck snap under his hands made him queasy.

For now, he just wanted to explore the arena.

The vast blue sky stretched for miles across the amusement park, before being cut off by the giant stone wall that surrounded the arena. Along the boardwalk were several little gift shops and food courts.

Food! Freddie snapped his head in the direction of one of the food courts and hurried over to it. Maybe he would be able to find a lunch after all.

He wasn't disappointed. Inside of the food court were several fountain drink machines with large cups stacked up next to them. There were hotdogs turning on some device, cooking. There were nachos behind the stand and several slushie machines.

Apparently the gamemakers didn't want the tributes starving this year.

Suddenly, there was a noise.

Freddie peaked out of the food court to see a head of straight, dirty blonde hair walking by. He recognized it instantly.

"Salome!" He called, running out of the food court.

The head whipped around. "Freddie?" She called back weakly, rubbing the tears out of her eyes.

"Freddie!" She called in relief as she made eye contact with his approaching figure. She dropped her backpack as she ran towards him. She crashed into him, wrapping him in a hug.

"Salome, I didn't know if you made it out or not." Freddie breathed heavily, returning her hug.

Salome let go. "Flora didn't make it, Freddie. She's dead." Salome said tearfully. "She's dead." She repeated, her voice cracking at the end. She was obviously upset.

Freddie frowned. "I'm... I'm sorry. I know you two were actually good friends." He said as he patted her on the back.

"Do you have anything?" Salome asked suddenly, wiping away her tears.

"What?" Freddie asked, confused.

"Supplies. Do you have any supplies?" Salome asked again.

Freddie shook his head, looking down. "I got out of there as fast as possible." He said, regret leaking into his tone. When he looked back up, Salome had retrieved her backpack and was unzipping it.

"What are you doing?" Freddie asked.

"I'm getting you something to defend yourself with." She said flatly as she pulled out a small knife. "Take it." She commanded evenly.

Freddie gently took the knife out of her hand and smiled softly. "Thanks, Salome." He said quietly.

Salome smiled sadly before turning and walking away.

"Where are you going?" Freddie called after her, suddenly feeling panicked.

Salome turned around and laughed breathlessly. "I've already lost one ally, Freddie. It feels terrible. I can't ally with you because I'll just lose you too." She explained as she heaved her backpack over her shoulder. "But if we do run into each other again, just remember that we're friends. You're the only one that I won't kill in here. Good luck." She smiled as she turned around and began to walk away again.

"Good luck." Freddie called after her.

She waved over her shoulder as she turned around a corner and disappeared.

Freddie looked back down at the knife in his hand and twirled it around. Salome was truly a blessing. Right when he was worried about having no weapons, she showed up and saved him. He hoped she did okay in the games.

He put the knife into his back pocket and walked back to the food court, where he ate a hotdog and drank a glass of coke for lunch.

* * *

Rory didn't stop running until he was completely out of breath. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and Lithium as possible. He had seen the real her today, even if it was only for a few mere seconds. He saw the sadistic sociopath she truly was and he abandoned her. If only Sully were here to see this...

Sully. Even the thought of his name sent Rory into an explosive fit of tears. Sully was his true original ally, his friend. No one could possibly understand what loss Rory was going through. Even if he had only known him for a few days, Sully was like the older brother he never had. He had grown so close to him, just to have him ripped away. He hated Lucius Kramer for killing him.

Sully didn't deserve this. None of them deserved this. Well maybe Lithium did, but other than that, everyone here was good deep inside. A deep burning rage welled up in Rory's gut. He hated the capitol for this, but he would have to play their game if he wanted to stay alive.

Taking cover in the oversized arcade, Rory slumped down against one of the blue walls. It was cold in here, the whole room filled with air conditioning, but Rory didn't mind. There were all kinds of arcade games in here, some bigger than others. Rory decided that this would be where he would make camp for the night.

He unzipped the two dark blue backpacks he had managed to snag from the bloodbath and examined their contents. In the first backpack there was a pack of band aids, a bottle of water, a pack of trail mix, some lip balm, and a pack of matches. In the second backpack there was a bottle of little light blue pills- probably pain killers, an extra t-shirt, a pair of socks, aloe vera gel, a small switchblade, and a medium sized knife.

Rory had gotten lucky. He sighed in relief as he looked at the two knives he had received. These would be his lifelines from now on. He knew he needed a weapon or two during the countdown, but going to the cornucopia would have been too risky. He couldn't help but think that if he had went to the cornucopia, he would have been dead by now.

He ran a finger through his short black hair and sighed. Sully may not be alive anymore, but Rory silently vowed to win for him. His ally's death wouldn't be in vain. Rory was going to make sure of it.

* * *

It was an unspoken relief among the careers that Raegan was dead. For Knives especially, after all the hell he put her through these past few days. The careers were currently sitting around the cornucopia, trying to make sense of it all.

"He did overestimate himself." Marina shrugged as she looked at the bag of dried pineapple chunks she was eating.

Jude nodded. "I didn't like the guy, sure, but we did need him in this alliance. He was physically strong." He said, looking at the ground with raised eyebrows.

Velvet, growing tired of their petty conversation, rolled her eyes. "Well he's dead." She snarled. "So get over it."

"Why don't you get over _yourself_." Jude growled at her.

"What was that, Two?" Velvet said, her voice getting higher at the end. Was this idiot challenging her?

"You heard me, One." Jude said in a rough voice as he stood up, turning around and facing her.

"Guys, stop." Marina said flatly. She was so sick of conflict.

Knives came in between the two careers, pushing them apart. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything." She said. "We have more important things to worry about."

The two careers broke apart and Jude retuned to his seat across from Marina. Fighting with his allies hadn't been a part of the plan he had for the games, but Velvet was just a cocky bitch.

Marina, on the other hand, was staring at the vast theme park laid out in front of them. She had noticed one thing in particular though that confused her. In what seemed to be the center of the theme park, there was a tall pink building with a large clock plastered onto it. The time in the clock read ten o'clock, but Marina knew good and well it was past ten. In the launch room, she had looked at the clock and it had been eleven o'clock then, so this clock had to be wrong. Perhaps it was just an old wonky clock the gamemakers threw on there at the last minute. Marina sighed, not giving it much thought.

She turned to Jude, who suddenly had a smirk on his face.

Marina looked at him, confused, as he stood up. His smirk broke into a grin as he grabbed his hooked knives out of the cornucopia.

All three careers looked at him confused as he twirled the knives in his hands.

"Soo..." He slurred coolly. "Who's up for some hunting?"

A smile immediately broke across Velvet's face as well.

She didn't like Jude, but she did like the idea of hunting.

* * *

Little did the careers know, they were being watched. As they left the cornucopia and made their way into the amusement park, a small figure slipped out from behind one of the rides.

Wisteria snickered to herself as she made her way over to the cornucopia. Those idiots didn't even leave a guard. It did kind of make sense though since there was only four of them.

As she walked over to the cornucopia, she picked up a bag of dried papayas and dried strawberries off of the ground and shoved them into a light purple backpack. She went to the back wall and selected a short sword off of the rack and took several small knives off of the rack as well. She unzipped a large white backpack and stuffed her new weapons into it. Deciding that this was all she needed, she made her way out of the cornucopia.

As she was walking out of the clearing, she almost tripped over a dead body. With a shriek, she looked down to find her district partner, Ike lying there on the concrete, dead. A gaping hole had been plunged into his chest and dark red blood stained his shirt. His eyes were open and lifeless, focused on nothing.

Wisteria wiped the tears out if her eyes as she bent over and closed his eyes. Hopefully he would find rest in the afterlife.

"Goodbye, Ike." She whispered tearfully as she looked away.

Walking away, Wisteria wiped more tears out of her eyes. Her sadness was replaced with a burning feeling of anger. She would kill whoever did this to him. Ike was so sweet, so kind. He didn't deserve this.

No one really deserved this.

* * *

Talulah looked up to the sky and sighed. The sun was setting and the lights on the wooden roller coasters had lit up, illuminating the park.

Day one was finally ending and she had made it. Her success had come with a price though. Teddy was dead. Her young and innocent district partner hadn't even survived five minutes in the bloodbath.

She remembered seeing him die. It was one of the most heartbreaking experiences of her life. Teddy was so small, so naive. He never would have made it anyways, but actually seeing him die made it that much more real.

People got killed in the Hunger Games.

As she was remembering Teddy, there was a noise from behind her. Instinctively, she ran and hid behind a ride, concealing herself. She peeked out from behind and saw her worst fear walking right past her.

The careers.

Luckily, they hadn't seen her as they went by. The District One girl, Velvet, was joking with the District Four girl, Marina, loudly but she soon grew tired of it.

"It's getting dark and we haven't found anyone yet. Can we just go back now?" Velvet whined.

The tall and handsome boy, Jude, sighed heavily. "Alright. But I want to go hunting again soon." He compromised.

As the careers passed by, Talulah sighed to herself. That had been a close one. If she was even another second later, they would have found her. Cringing, she made sure that they were gone before she slid out from behind the teacup ride.

After about ten more minutes, she climbed into one of the teacups and yawned. Today had been a long day and she wanted to go to sleep. But suddenly, the capitol anthem blared, filling the arena with it's musical tunes.

A few words were projected into the sky. _The Fallen_, it read. The first face shimmered into view, the career boy from District Four. That meant everyone from One, Two, and Three was still alive. As his face shimmered out of sight, it was replaced by the boy from Six.

Talulah frowned, trying to remember Ike. It was so strange how all of these people she once knew were now dead.

Up next was the girl from District Eight, then the boy from District Nine, Teddy, and both from Twelve.

And then it was over. As the sky faded back to darkness, Talulah's eyes grew heavy.

In her mind, she transported herself back to District Eleven and that was enough to lull her into slumber.

* * *

**A/N: No deaths! I've been on a roll lately, updating everyday for the past few days. I'm so excited that we're finally into the games, it's taken a while. I also really excited to get further into the games because i have so much planned, i know this story will surprise you guys. Anyways, til next time :)**


	26. Watch Your Back

Talulah woke up early in the morning when the breeze was still chilly and the sun was just beginning to peak over the trees.

Numbly, she realized she was in a teacup. She didn't remember why she had chosen to sleep here, but it was comfortable. The teacup was made of dark polished wood with a cushioned red seat and a steel hinged door. Her legs dangled over the edges of the ride.

In her dreams, she had been back in District Eleven on the reaping. Instead of her name being called, it was someone else's. She stood in the crowd as the girl walked towards the stage and later she went back home. Everything was okay after the reaping and she was back with her family.

But as she woke up this morning, she realized that wasn't the case.

Talulah stretched her stiff limbs and yawned. Today would be day two in the arena and she was still alive. She hoped her family wasn't too nervous for her. She had a feeling she would be coming home soon.

Talulah walked around the arena for what seemed to be an hour. As the sun finally rose into the sky and the air grew warmer, Talulah's stomach began to rumble. Vaguely, she remembered that she hasn't eaten since yesterday. Searching for food, she stumbled across a little ice cream shop on the corner of the boardwalk.

She walked inside and saw something that made her stomach drop.

Another tribute was standing in there, looking right at her.

Talulah gasped as Salome Bucks walked towards her slowly, a sinister glare on her face.

"I-I" Talulah began, but decided against speaking. She ran out of the shop as fast as she could and down the street

She thought she had gotten away from Salome, but when she turned around, she found that Salome was chasing after her, hot on her heels.

Talulah's eyes grew wide as she realized that Salome was quickly gaining on her, a long and crooked knife in her hand. With her life in the line, her speed picked up. The chase continued for what felt like ten minutes and Talulah quickly grew tired. Her legs burned from exertion and her heart felt like it was on fire.

Finally, Talulah hit a dead end.

As Salome backed her up against the large stone wall, Talulah began to cry. "P-please don't..." She began, but Salome didn't listen.

Salome flung her onto the ground and tried to hold her down, but Talulah squirmed, trying to free herself.

She took the long knife out from behind her and quickly held it above her victim.

"Y-you don't have to do this." Talulah cried, her eyes desperate.

"Yes I _do_." Salome yelled.

Finally, Salome overpowered Talulah and pressed the knife to her neck. With one swift movement, she sliced the blade across her throat.

Blood appeared immediately. Talulah's eyes grew wide as fire ripped across her throat.

Talulah's vision began to fail, but vaguely, she felt Salome got off of her and leave, leaving her to bleed out. She was dying, she was truly dying.

The pain was excruciating. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she just had to let herself suffocate on her own blood.

Soon, the pain ebbed and she was overwhelmed with a feeling of stillness. Her whole body went limp and she felt incapable of anything but calm. She could see nothing but white as she felt a strange sensation that she could only describe as an angel lifting her up into it's arms.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard a cannon boom.

* * *

BOOM!

The sound of a cannon jolted Haven out of his sleep.

Next to him in the large ticket booth, Lorelei and Cherry stirred, still asleep though. Haven wiped the sleep out of his eyes and stretched his arms, cracking his joints. He still had dried tears staining his cheeks from when he found out Lyle had died last night.

Shaking his head, he tried to rid his mind of Lyle. He had mourned him enough last night with his allies and it was time to move on. After all, people _did_ die in the Hunger Games.

Shaking Lorelei gently, he leaned over to her.

"Huh?" Lorelei slurred, heavy in slumber.

"I'll be back later. I'm gonna go check this place out." He whispered to her. "Maybe I'll find us something to eat."

"Mm okay." Lorelei mumbled, turning back over.

Haven nodded, standing up. He took a deep breath before he opened the door. Then he turned the knob, stepping out into the open.

The air was warm and gentle, like it was barely even there. Haven gazed around the park, taking it all in. There were bright red and blue roller coasters in front of him, who's tracks looked like ladder rails. There was an arcade to his left and a bunch of food court down by the boardwalk. He decided that he would check out the boardwalk when he got back from exploring the park.

After walking around for a few minutes, a wonderful idea entered his head. He could climb the roller coaster tracks and get a great view of the arena.

He decided on a light blue roller coaster that stood highest in the air. He gripped onto it's lowest rails and hoisted himself onto it. He began to climb it like a ladder and looked around him. Twenty feet up... Thirty feet up... Fifty feet up... As he looked below him, he could see the entire arena. His alliance's camp looked like an egg from up here. However, he couldn't see what lied past that tall stone wall that surrounded the arena.

As he sat at the very top, he could see several tributes walking around on the other side of the arena, away from him. He could even see the cornucopia in the middle of the amusement park and the careers that lied inside of it, still sleeping.

Haven smiled. Perhaps his alliance should just camp up here. They would be able to see all of their enemies from this vantage point.

He was laughing when suddenly his foot slipped.

Before he knew it, he was dangling off of the roller coaster by only his hands. Panic raced through his heart as he realized he was about to fall a sixty foot drop. He couldn't pull himself up, he didn't have enough upper body strength.

This was going to be the end of him. This fall would kill him. He tried to hold on, but his fingers were quickly slipping. Closing his eyes, he realized he was going to fall either way.

And so he let go.

At first he felt like he was flying. The wind howled in his ears as he surged towards the ground. The falling sensation dragged at his body with cold icy claws, making his stomach lurch. He opened his eyes, just to see the blurry concrete ground quickly approaching him. He closed his eyes. He was going to die.

_SMACK._

Pain. Terrible, excruciating pain.

He landed on his arm, shielding the rest of his body from getting smashed. He was alive, the pain reminded him of that. A strangled, deep cry escaped his throat. He was in agony. Something in his body was screaming with anguish, but he couldn't recognize which part it was.

Forcing himself into a sitting position, he slowly examined his body. His legs were okay, his torso was okay, his arm was o-

Oh, his arm was not okay.

His left arm was hanging at an unnatural angle, twisted backwards like a broken doll.

Looking at his deformed limb, his jaw dropped open. Was this his... arm? It looked so unreal and terrifying, Haven had to take a moment before he realized what he had to do. He set his jaw as he shakily gripped the his broken bone.

He took a deep breath and pulled his arm back into it's normal position.

He swallowed the scream about to burst out of his throat and held back the tears that formed behind his eyes. The corners of his vision darkened and he began to feel lightheaded. He was about to pass out, he knew it.

Deciding he needed to take it easy for a moment, he lied down and closed his eyes. _Breathe Haven_, he commanded himself. _Breathe_. He took a deep, shuddering breath in through his mouth, and then released it. For what seemed like twenty minutes, he focused only on his breathing, blocking out the pain.

Soon, the nausea and hazed vision passed, leaving him only with the terrible agony that laced his arm, twisting itself tighter and tighter around his broken bone every minute he lied there.

He had to get back to Lorelei and Cherry. They were the only ones that could help him.

He quickly staggered to his feet, clutching his ruined arm in his other hand. After a ten minute walk, he arrived back at their ticket booth next to the Log Flume and stepped inside.

"Lorelei." He said tearfully.

"Wha-" She slurred, opening her eyes. Suddenly, her eyes flew open. "Oh my god, Haven!" She cried as she scrambled towards him. "What happened?"

"I-I fell." He breathed, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. "Off a roller coaster."

Lorelei's eyes grew even wider. She quickly turned to Cherry, who was already looking through their backpacks for medical supplies.

"What do we have, Cherry?" Lorelei asked.

"Pain pills and gauze. That's all we have that will help him." She said as she tossed the bottle of little blue pills to Lorelei.

Lorelei grabbed the bottle mid air and fished some water out of one of their backpacks as well. "Here, take some of these." She said as she handed the water and pills to Haven.

Haven shakily swallowed the pills dry and washed them down with the water.

"It.. It still hurts." He said, in tears.

"It's gonna hurt for at least twenty more minutes. You need to give the medicine time to kick in." Lorelei explained. "We need a cast from a sponsor. That's the only way this will heal."

After five long minutes, there was a quiet dinging. Lorelei knew what it was immediately. She rushed out the door and retrieved the sponsor gift from the step. As she stepped back in, Cherry and Haven looked to see what it was.

"It's a plaster cast." Lorelei said as she set it down. "I know how to apply this." She said as she took out a bowl from their backpack and poured some warm water into it. Lorelei became another person when circumstances got serious. It was like someone else took over. She suddenly knew what to do and what to say, it was amazing to watch.

"Cherry, clean the wound." Lorelei commanded as she dipped strips of plaster into the warm water.

Cherry nodded as she grabbed some rubbing alcohol out of their backpack.

Cherry wanted to throw up at the sight of Haven's arm. All the skin in his forearm was bruised with deep purple and blue splotches. It was swollen and bleeding on the side. It was truly gruesome. She rubbed some of the alcohol into his cut where the bone had punctured the skin. Haven began to squirm and gasp, but tried to hold still. Cherry finished and immediately grabbed the gauze.

"Ew." Lorelei slinked back, avoiding the sight of Haven's arm.

"I don't even want to look." Haven breathed. He was in terrible pain, but cleaning the wound was necessary.

Cherry wrapped a fresh roll of gauze tightly around Haven's broken arm and he tried to swallow the screech about to burst out of his throat. As Cherry finished wrapping his arm, Lorelei stepped in. She wrapped the strips of plaster on top of the gauze until there was none left. The plaster would soon harder, giving Haven's arm a safe place to heal.

"We're done." Lorelei breathed as she dumped the plaster water out the window and picked up their scattered supplies. "Haven, how do you feel?" She asked with concern.

"Better." He nodded. "It still hurts though."

"It's gonna hurt for a while. Why don't you get some rest, it will help." Lorelei suggested.

"Thanks." He mumbled as he laid down. "You guys are good friends, you went right to work for me.." He tried to smile.

Lorelei smiled back. "That's what friends are for."

* * *

Salome sat in the ice cream shop, eyes wide, but focused on nothing. She had just killed someone.

She had just killed someone and she didn't even know their first name.

She had been sitting in the same position for nearly an hour, just replaying the scene over and over again in her head. She watched herself slit that poor girl's throat ten times over. She kept seeing the blood leaking down her neck and the girl's desperate eyes, begging her to save her.

What had made her kill the girl? She didn't know. Perhaps it was the need to get home quicker. Maybe it was the urge to take her hidden aggression out on someone. She didn't know.

All she knew was that a girl was dead and it was her fault.

Now, Salome had never been one to have a guilty conscience, but this was breaking her. She sighed heavily and reminded herself that this was a game. It was a game where people became murderers and innocent kids died. It happened all the time.

She wondered how many people had been in her position in past Hunger Games. Probably dozens. And she saw what happened to them. Their guilt took them over and they either wound up killing themselves or being so paranoid that they got killed by a career or something.

She didn't want to be one of those tributes.

Salome forced her guilt aside and stood up. She reminded herself that she wasn't a bad person, she had just done a bad thing. This guilt was just a bump in the road on her way to victory.

She couldn't let it stop her.

* * *

Petunia and Aspen sat together on the carousel, eating cotton candy. They had found a nice little cotton candy stand a few shops down from their camp earlier, so that had been their dinner. If only their mothers were here.

Petunia carried on a conversation about magical woodland creatures while Aspen pretended to pay attention. Really, he was more focused on his cotton candy than learning about fairies.

Aspen let his eyes scan the arena. It was really a great place to be, even if it was the Hunger Games. Aspen had always wanted to visit a theme park, his family had just never had the money. Evening was quickly approaching, casting a golden glow over the park. The ferris wheel still spun in the sunset. Aspen let his gaze fall onto this big ferris wheel and began to find himself staring at it, wondering how fun it would be to ride it.

"Petunia..." He drawled, cutting into the middle of her story.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Do you want to ride the ferris wheel?" He asked her, not taking his eyes off of the ride. "I mean, we would be able to see the whole arena from the top." He said dreamily.

Petunia followed his gaze, staring at the ferris wheel for a moment, herself. "Why not." She shrugged.

A smile immediately lit up Aspen's features as he looked at her. "Let's go." He said excitedly.

The alliance of two jumped off the carousel and ran over to the ferris wheel's entrance. It was a grand ride, painted in pristine white paint and decorated in lights that would soon begin to light up as night fell.

As they entered the line, Aspen jumped through the ropes and Petunia followed. They got to the Ferris wheel finally and wondered how they would get on. Just as they were wondering how, the ride stopped for a moment.

"Hurry!" Aspen said to Petunia as he jumped into the cart. Petunia followed quickly and just made it into the door as the ride picked up again.

"We made it." Petunia breathed, a smile on her face.

Aspen gazed out into the arena as they were hoisted higher and higher into the air. After they were half way up, the ride stopped again. Aspen soon figured out that the ferris wheel stopped every six carts so that new passengers could get on.

By the time they reached the next stop, they were all the way up in the air.

"Woah." Aspen breathed as he looked across the vast arena. The whole place stretched on for at least five miles on either side. He had never seen an amusement park so big before. There were so many rides, so many food courts, so many places they still had yet to discover. Aspen couldn't help but be amazed by how great this place was.

"This is amazing." Petunia smiled as she looked alongside Aspen out the window. "The gamemakers have really outdone themselves this time."

Aspen smiled too. "They sure have."

* * *

Haven awoke out of a deep sleep to find Lorelei and Cherry in front of him, talking. The sun was now setting and it was about to get dark.

"Hey guys." He slurred, rubbing his eyes.

The two girls looked over at him. "How are you feeling?" Lorelei asked.

Haven nodded. "I feel fine, but I kind of want to switch locations."

Cherry squinted at him. "How come?" She asked in a high pitched voice.

Haven shrugged. "It doesn't feel safe here anymore. What if someone has been watching us or something and they're just waiting until dark to attack." Haven said with wide eyes. "I don't know, I just want to keep moving."

Lorelei let out a short laugh. "I think that fall went to your head. No one is watching us." She assured him.

Haven let out a sigh. "I'd just feel safer if we moved." He said.

Lorelei looked at the poor boy for a long moment. He had been through so much today, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to just give him what he wanted. Lorelei sighed heavily.

"Alright let's pack up." She said.

Haven's eyes lit up as he got out of their sleeping bag. "Aw thanks, Lorelei." He smiled. For a moment there, he looked like the regular Haven again.

As they packed up and headed out the door of the ticket booth, Cherry turned to Haven. "So where do you want to go?" She asked him.

Haven looked around for a moment before nodding towards the playground to their left. "This way." He said steadily.

The alliance of three walked into the park and set their stuff down next to the swings. It was now dark and the only light was the ones that lit up the roller coasters and the illumination of the moon.

Little did they know, they were not alone in the park.

"Well, well, well." A familiar voice laughed.

Haven turned around in horror.

Kramer.

* * *

"I'll make this quick. Are we all fine with that?" Kramer asked the four as he twirled one of his knives in his fingers.

They were all quiet for a moment until the girl from Nine parted from the rest. "We aren't scared of you, it's three against one. We outnumber you badly." She said confidently with a smirk. "I'll make you a deal. Get out of here now and we'll spare you." That stupid smirk still on her mouth. "For tonight"

A derisive laugh escaped Kramer's lips.

"Well if that's the way you wanna play this" He shrugged.

And with that, Cherry found a knife right between her eyes.

* * *

**R.I.P. Talulah and Cherry**

**Talulah really grew on me as I wrote her, but I never originally had her going any further. She died painfully, but she won't be forgotten, hopefully. I will miss her :(**

**Cherry was an odd girl, very socially awkward and someone who always spoke at the wrong times. Unfortunately that is what got her killed. She was funny at times and I'll miss writing for her.**

**A/N: Wow, eventful chapter! Two deaths plus the infamous Haven falling off a roller coaster scene. And Kramer finally made an appearance! This is the kind of stuff I like to write, really intense and gory stuff, even though this chapter wasn't that gory. I love writing the games portion of this story. The reapings and the capitol stuff was a bit slow paced, but I'm really excited about the stuff that's happening now, so expect quicker updates. Oh, and we haven't heard from Lithium in a while. Are you ready to see what she's been up to? Be afraid, be very afraid.**

**Til next time :)**


	27. Reunited

BOOM!

Lorelei took an angry step forward and Kramer instinctively took one back.

"Ah ah ah." Kramer warned, moving his finger. "I wouldn't do that if i were you, Ten."

Haven put his hand on Lorelei's shoulder. "Lorelei, don't." he hissed, afraid.

Lorelei shouldered Haven's good hand off of her. "Why did you do that." She growled, her eyes narrowed dangerously. She had her silver spear clutched tightly behind her back.

"Sweetheart," Kramer drawled, rolling his eyes. "This isn't about her."

"Then why did you kill her?" Lorelei practically yelled at him.

"Sorry, but in case you haven't noticed, this is a game. It's not unheard of to kill people in here, ya know." Kramer stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's nothing personal."

Lorelei forced a deep, shaking breath into her lungs. "So are you going to kill me and Haven now?" She asked.

Kramer smirked and shook his head. "No." He said simply. "Not yet."

And with that, he heaved his backpacks over his shoulders and ran, leaving Lorelei, Haven, and a dead Cherry in the dust. His exit was so sudden, Lorelei hadn't even thought about spearing him in the back while he ran. Kramer had not only killed one of their allies, but he escaped with his life.

Clever didn't even begin to describe this boy.

* * *

Freddie looked up into the night sky and sighed. He had survived the second day in the arena and all he had been doing was chilling by the boardwalk, eating food, and relaxing. It was a pretty good way to spend the duration of the Hunger Games.

There had been two cannons today. Freddie hoped it hadn't been Salome or a little kid. The evil part of his heart hoped it was a career, but he instantly felt bad for wishing death upon anyone. No one deserved to die.

Suddenly, the anthem blared across the arena at maximum volume and the fallen tributes were projected into the sky. The first tribute was the dark haired girl from District Nine. In her picture, she was smiling sadly. And just like that, District Nine was out of the running. As her face faded away, it was replaced by the pretty tan girl from District Eleven. Freddie briefly remembered her from training. And there went another district out of the game.

At least it wasn't him or Salome.

Freddie had made it all the way to the final fifteen and it felt like such a great accomplishment. He knew that there was still fourteen deaths waiting to happen, but he had a knife and he could kill anyone who invaded his territory... Couldn't he?

As the crickets began chirping, Freddie closed his eyes and he fell asleep.

* * *

Salome's eyes fluttered open to the feeling of warm sunlight on her skin.

For a second there she felt alright, but she remembered where she was and all the bad memories came flooding back. She was in the Hunger Games and she was a killer.

With a sigh, she got up and packed up her things into her backpack. The ice cream shop was a nice place, but she felt an overwhelming need to keep moving. She still had an entire day left and she needed to get going.

As she walked out of the ice cream shop, she took one last look at her old shelter before she walked away.

The air was warm and gentle, just like it was every day. She filled her lungs with the sweet air as she explored the amusement park. She walked around for a good ten minutes, looking over her shoulder ever so often. Every time, she was relieved to find that she wasn't being trailed by someone.

Well, every time but this one.

As she looked over her shoulder again, she found a girl with light blonde hair about ten feet behind her. On her face was a sinister smile and in her hand she clutched a long, cruel knife with dried blood on it. The girl's name was Lithium Lumiere if she remembered correctly.

With a gasp, she began to run.

Lithium ran after her and let a maniacal laugh. Salome's heart pounded heavily in her chest. Why was this girl laughing! Was she crazy or something?

The chase continued for about five minutes as the girls weaved through rides and down walkways. Finally, Salome grew tired of running and stopped mid-sprint. She turned around and faced her attacker. Lithium was about twenty feet behind her, but she also stopped running when she was about eight feet away.

Showdown.

As the two girls stared each other down, Lithium's smile grew. "Grew some balls, did you?" Lithium laughed. "Finally decided to stop running. You'll never beat me though."

Salome growled under her breath as she slowly took a knife out of her back pocket. "You're crazy." She observed. "And yes, I will beat you."

Lithium raised an eyebrow at her. "Well let's fight then." She said excitedly.

Fear raced through Salome's heart as she realized what was about to happen. One of them was going to die right now.

Fight or flight: those were her only options. She could stay here and fight Lithium, or she could run like hell and try to escape. She decided on fight. She was staying. And she was gonna fight this girl as hard as she could until she either beat her or died trying.

With a lunge, Lithium charged forward, knife raised above her head. Salome dodged her attack and Lithium stabbed air.

Now it was Salome's turn. With deadly speed, she sliced her knife across Lithium's face, cutting her across the cheek. With a shriek, Lithium punched her hard in the face, causing her to go falling and sprawl out on the ground.

Rubbing her jaw, Salome growled. She took her knife and attempted to stab Lithium's stomach, but Lithium pounced in top of her like an angry lioness. There was a crazy bloodthirsty look in this girl's once pretty blue eyes. She looked like a maniac as she held Salome down. This girl wasn't so innocent anymore.

"I'm done playing games." Lithium said darkly as she whipped her arm out and stabbed Salome's hand, causing her to let go of her knife.

Salome cried out in pain as her knife went skittering away. She could feel her hand grow warm and wet with every passing second.

"Now your defenseless." Lithium said, amused.

Blood poured out of Salome's ruined hand as she tried to overpower Lithium, but the girl just wouldn't budge.

"It's time to end this." Lithium decided. "Any last words?"

Salome's face twisted into one of pure anger and hatred. "I hope you burn in hell, you demon bitch." She said angrily as she spit in Lithium's face.

Lithium shrieked as she wiped the spit out of her face. When she recovered, she quit messing around and stabbed her knife right into Salome's heart.

Salome screamed as pain exploded in her chest.

"I win." Lithium smirked as she yanked the knife out, fresh with blood.

BOOM!

* * *

The sound of a cannon made Wisteria jump.

She had been in a small ice cream shop that she had discovered just minutes ago when the cannon rang out.

She scooped herself a cone of strawberry ice cream and sat down.

One more death, just seconds ago. She wondered who it could have been. If she was correct, there were fifteen tributes left in the game. It could really be anyone, she was just glad it wasn't her.

After she finished her ice cream, she got up and gathered her backpacks, abandoning the ice cream shop.

She always kept moving, it was the smartest thing to do in her mind. She had been walking around all day and still hadn't seen another tribute. It was definitely strange, but again, this arena was miles wide. They could be anywhere.

Wisteria walked down the train tracks and stopped in the small train station. She heard what sounded like a train coming.

And she was right.

A small red and white train pulled into the station and stopped momentarily, as if it was picking up passengers. There were six cars on the train, inside of each would seat four passengers comfortably. Twenty four seats, twenty four tributes. How clever.

With a smirk, Wisteria climbed into a seat. After a moment, the train tooted it's horn and starting moving again.

_How strange_, Wisteria thought. _I guess it never stops moving_.

After an hour, Wisteria had seen what she guessed to be the entire arena. There was so much to see here, it really was a grand arena. If only she wasn't in the Hunger Games, she would take the time to enjoy what this park had to offer.

Feeling enlightened, she stepped off of the train and walked into a large arcade on the corner.

But as she walked in, she saw something that made her heart stop.

Another tribute was laying in the corner, sleeping. If she was correct, his name was Rory and he was from District Eight. What was he doing here all alone? During training he had two other allies. Perhaps they had died? Wisteria hadn't cared enough to pay attention.

Stepping out of the arcade quietly, she went on searching for shelter.

* * *

Cain hadn't eaten in two days. His stomach growled and gurgled so loud that he was afraid another tribute might find him. Inside of him was a vast emptiness that seemed to stretch to the very ends of the earth. He felt so weak.

He hadn't moved from his little ticket booth since he got there. Every time he considered going to search for food, the gnawing fear of being discovered sent him skittering back into the corner of the shack.

Finally, Cain grew sick and tired of letting himself starve. With a deep breath, he stepped towards the exit. He opened the door of the ticket booth and took a shaky step out. The warm air felt good against his pale skin and he cherished the light. He grew a little bit braver and took a few more steps away from his shelter.

Safe.

He walked a little bit more.

Still safe.

Maybe there was nobody in the kiddie park but him after all. The thought sent relief flooding through his body. The heavy fear he always carried was lifted off of his shoulders slightly as he continued to walk.

Suddenly, a feminine voice rang out. "Cain?"

Cain jumped as adrenaline surged through his body. He knew he shouldn't have left his shelter! Now he was going to be killed and it was all his fault.

The sound of faced paced foot steps caused Cain to whip around, his eyes wide with fear.

His heart rate accelerated as he saw his district partner, Lithium, running towards him with a bloody knife in her hand. She also had a cut on her cheek, streaked dark red.

Cain tried to run, but his legs were locked in fear. Lithium was going to kill him, right here and right now! His own district partner was going to stab him. He knew it was frowned upon to kill your district partner, but Lithium apparently didn't care. As she approached, Cain was nearly frozen in place. All of his muscles were clenched.

Surprisingly, she let out a laugh. "My god, Cain, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." She said lightheartedly.

Cain tried to respond, but his mouth wouldn't move. Was she trying to conversate with him before she killed him?

"Well, uh, remember how we agreed to become allies if we ran into each other in the arena? Well, I finally found you. So is that deal still good?" She asked excitedly.

Cain's muscles unlocked. She only wanted to be allies, she didn't want to kill him. He wanted to laugh at himself, but he still found it hard to speak.

"I-I" Cain stuttered. Inside of his mind, he weighed his options carefully. If he did ally with her, he would have a protector and a possible food source. If he didn't ally with her, she might either kill him or leave him, which meant no food.

There was a clear winning option here.

"Y-yes." Cain said shakily as he tried to smile.

Lithium broke out into a smile, lighting up her beautiful features. "Oh goodie!" She clapped as she jumped up and down on the balls of her feet.

Cain's eyes fell on the bloody knife in her pocket. "Wh-what happened?" He asked.

Lithium followed his gaze to her knife. "Oh, so I was walking down the boardwalk, when suddenly a tribute jumped out from behind me and pinned me down. I tried to escape, but he just wouldn't let me go. I had to cut him to make him let go of me, then I ran." She lied. "Don't worry, I didn't kill him." Another lie.

Cain nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry. Is that how your cheek got cut?" He asked curiously.

Lithium nodded, looking down.

Cain shrugged, feeling sorry for her. Poor girl. Who would attack someone as sweet and kind as Lithium?

"Well at least we're allies now, right?" He said encouragingly as he put a hand on her shoulder.

He touched her and she was immediately completely aware of the delicious current running through her. She wanted to let herself go right then and there, but she had to keep Cain in the dark until it was time.

And soon, the time would come.

* * *

**R.I.P. Salome**

**Salome was one of my favorites. She was a smart mouth, confident, and vicious. I had so much fun with her character and I will miss writing her SO MUCH. God, I didn't want to kill her off, but this was her place to die.**

**A/N: so Lithium has returned, are you afraid? I would be. We have finally heard from all the tributes in the arena! There is so much left to this story, I know you guys will be shocked by what's to come. I'm really excited for summer so I'll have more time to write. Well til next time :)**


	28. Crash and Burn

As the sun set on the third day, Haven and Lorelei walked back towards their old shelter by the Log Flume, feeling defeated.

"I can't believe she's... dead." Haven said softly, looking down.

Lorelei frowned. She knew they should have just stayed at their ticket booth, but they didn't. She listened to Haven and now Cherry was dead. Cherry was so much more than an ally... She was a friend. Sure, she was a little socially inept and weird, but she had a good heart. She did not deserve to die.

Lorelei hated that Kramer boy for killing her.

"Lorelei." Haven said evenly as he stopped walking for a moment, scratching his head of brown hair. "Look at that." He said, confused.

Lorelei followed his pointed finger and her eyes landed on the building in front of them. It was tall, maybe the tallest one here. The building was painted taffy pink and on top of it rested a clock. Apparently, the time was just past seven o'clock.

Lorelei shrugged. "What?" She asked.

"I've been watching that clock." Haven said flatly. "Something is wrong with it because it's been on seven o'clock all day. If anything it's been moving backwards. Look, see?" He said , his voice getting higher at the end.

Lorelei squinted, focusing on the big hand in the clock. Haven was right, it did seem to be ticking backwards. The big hand was moving closer towards the six. How strange.

Lorelei shrugged. "Maybe it's just an old wonky clock." She said, not giving it much thought.

Haven shrugged too. "Maybe.. Lets just get back to the log flume." He sighed.

In a few hours they had returned to their old shelter and unpacked their things. It was dark now and the moon peeked over the large stone wall, illuminating the arena in an eerie glow.

"Looks like it's just us now." Haven mumbled as he unfolded his sleeping bag, eyes downcast. This ticket booth, originally occupied by three tributes, was one short now.

"It's so weird to think that they're dead." Lorelei sighed. "I mean, they were both alive just days ago."

Haven nodded as he laid down. "Mm hm." He nodded.

Suddenly, the anthem filled the arena with it's loud, musical tunes. Both Lorelei and Haven looked into the sky as The Fallen were projected. The only tribute to be shown was the blonde girl from District Five. In her picture, she was glaring at the camera with her arms crossed. It shocked Haven. Salome was one of the toughest outer district tributes in the game. Her death hit him hard.

Anyone could die.

Haven shook his head and got into his sleeping bag. Today had been the longest day of his life and he was over it.

Sleep came easily to him at first, but as the night went on, he began to toss and turn, his dreams plagued by nightmares. Over and over again, Cherry died. He could never save her because it all happened so quick. The knife found her skull before Haven could shove her aside and the sound of a cannon rang throughout his brain.

Haven woke abruptly, drenched in a cold sweat.

His breathing was heavy and his brown bangs were plastered to his forehead. _It was just a dream_, he reminded himself. Only it wasn't just a dream. Cherry and Lyle really were dead and he didn't save them.

He still had Lorelei though. He still had one friend left.

He looked over to her sleeping form, watching her chest rise and fall. She looked so conflicted in her sleep. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she kept mumbling to herself. Haven tried to understand what she was saying, but he couldn't hear her clearly.

He listened for a while longer as he sat up against the walls of the ticket booth, but finally he heard what she was saying in her sleep.

"Th... they're g.. growling." She breathed as she turned over onto her side.

_Who's growling_? Haven frowned as he watched her sleep. What in the world was she talking about? He listened a little closer, only to hear crickets chirping in the distance, but after a few minutes, he heard it too.

It seemed unnatural, the sound he heard. It wasn't loud, it was actually quite faint and far. It was still there though and it was undeniable.

Someone, or better yet, something, was out there.

* * *

As the sun rose over the stone wall, Jude snapped his eyes open. Today was the day.

The careers had been lying low for the past few days, but today would be their big hunt. If this didn't bring up their kill count, then nothing would. Jude slid out of his sleeping bag quietly with a large grin on his face. He wasn't really bloodthirsty, but if killing these tributes meant victory, he would do it.

He looked at his three sleeping allies, wondering who would be the first to go. It would probably be Marina since she was so soft. He knew she hadn't gotten a kill yet and that bothered him, but today he would make sure she got her hands dirty.

He looked over to Velvet's head of blonde hair and watched her sleep. He hoped she would die soon, but the odds of that were slim. Sure, she was a ditz, but she was well trained. Careers like that usually made it pretty far, even if they didn't deserve to. He just hoped that she didn't take the crown home this year. She was so immature and stupid, people like her had always gotten on Jude's nerves.

Lastly, he laid eyes on Knives. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open partially. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, it was really the only time where she wasn't watching her back. She really had no reason to worry though. If any of these other careers dare lay a finger on his district partner, they would be dead. Jude would make sure of it. He was oddly protective over her, he didn't know why. Perhaps it was just the bond district partners shared or maybe it was something more.

He shook his head as if to clear it of his thoughts. The Hunger Games was no place for romance.

Within a few hours, all four careers were up and shoveling down the last bits of their breakfasts. Marina, Jude, and Velvet were done eating first and began to pack up supplies for their hunt.

"Hurry up, Knives. I want to go." Velvet whined, scrunching up her face.

Knives quickly ate the last spoonful of her breakfast and gulped down some water.

Jude glared at Velvet. "She can take as long as she likes." He growled.

Velvet looked over at Jude with raised eyebrows. "Oh really? Says who?" She said in a surprised voice. This boy just wouldn't give up. "Who made you in charge of anything?" She sneered as she put her vest of throwing knives on.

Jude crossed his arms. "I made myself in charge. If you were the leader, we would all be dead by now." He said evenly.

Velvet laughed loudly. "Was that an insult, Two?" She challenged him.

"It's a fact, One." Jude shot back.

"Guys stop." Knives said flatly. Velvet and Jude had been arguing nonstop for the past three days. It was sort of funny, but mostly just annoying. They fought like little kids.

Jude took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. He let his anger go for Knives' sake. "Alright." He sighed. "I'm done arguing. I'm ready to go." He said as he put his hooked knives in his pockets.

Marina grabbed her trident and met the three outside of the cornucopia. She always backed off when Velvet and Jude were going at it because she didn't want to get dragged in somehow.

A sly smirk crossed Jude's face. "Are we all ready?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Let's go."

And with that, the four deadly careers ventured off into the arena, ready to kill.

* * *

Petunia and Aspen, the two twelve year olds, walked through the park, looking for something to do. They had been doing so well in the games so far. It had been four whole days and they hadn't run into any trouble yet.

Before they knew it, they were climbing up the side of the large wooden roller coaster in the west wing of the amusement park. The wood felt rough against their hands as they climbed up the sides, but they soon reached the top.

"This is a great view." Aspen breathed as he looked out across the park.

Petunia looked around the ride until her eyes fell onto the carts inside of the tunnel. "Hey Aspen, do you think this ride still works?" She asked curiously as she turned towards the carts.

Aspen followed his ally's gaze and trailed behind her as she walked towards the passenger carts. "I don't know, let's find out!" He said excitedly as he ran in front of her.

Suddenly, there was a noise similar to footsteps approaching quickly. "Did you hear that?" An excited female voice called out as the footsteps got closer. "There might be tributes close by!"

Aspen and Petunia looked at each other in horror. They both knew who was entering the ride from beneath them.

It was the careers.

Just then, a head of blonde entered Aspen's line of vision. It was followed by three more heads of darker hair. They were about twenty feet in front of them and the only thing separating them was the line of four passenger carts. Aspen and Petunia were elevated on a slope, so the careers were below them, walking on flat land. The blonde girl, Velvet, looked around until her eyes fell on Aspen and Petunia. Her eyes immediately lit up.

"Hey, hey, I found some! Look!" She cried happily as she pointed to the two twelve year olds above her.

The other three careers followed Velvet's outstretched hand until their eyes landed on the two as well. Velvet was beginning to scramble up the sloped wooden rails when Jude put a large hand on her shoulder. "Let Marina get these two. She hasn't killed yet." He said simply.

Panic surged through Aspen's heart as his muscles locked. These careers looked at them as no more than just "kills". It was frightening, but in a way it lit a fire in his heart. They weren't just kills and that girl from District Four wasn't going to get them. Not today.

As the girl from Four climbed up the sloped tunnel, trident in hand, Aspen whipped his head around, looking for something to save them. Suddenly, his eyes landed on a button inside of the tunnel. Whatever it activated, it was him and Petunia's last hope.

With a leaping lunge, Aspen slammed his fist on the green button and it lit up. Almost instantly, the four carts in front of him began to zoom backwards and down the slope.

It all happened so fast. One second, Marina was climbing up the slope, next the flying carts blocked the careers from view, next there was blood.

Everywhere.

BOOM!

Aspen squinted as he leaned forward, trying to see what had just happened. When his eyes adjusted, a horrified gasp escaped his lips. The girl from District Four had been gored by the moving carts. She was nothing more than a bloodied dead body now. Her once beautiful face was twisted to the side at an unnatural angle, her skull smashed as flat as a pancake.

He had done that.

The girl from District One screamed as she realized that blood had gotten on her shirt.

Without even thinking, Aspen ran, grabbing Petunia's hand on his way. He had murdered that girl. He had mutilated her. He was a _killer_. His eyes were wildly wide as he and Petunia jumped off a low part of the ride and disappeared into the amusement park.

* * *

The sound of a cannon lurched Kramer out of his nap.

As the sleep faded away from his eyes, he tried to think of what just happened. There was a cannon and that meant another tribute was dead.

He should have felt relief, but instead he felt nothing.

Kramer had been in one of his moods today and he didn't know why. Actually, a lot of the time he felt like this. Nothing. No happiness, no sadness, not a thing. He knew it wasn't normal, but he had felt this way since he was young, ever since the capitol had killed his father. Perhaps he had just learned how to repress his emotions, or maybe he just didn't feel things like others do.

A lot of the time he felt bored and numb, but when he did feel things, oh god did he feel them. Emotions like lust, anger, or revenge... He felt them so deeply sometimes that it consumed him and he couldn't think straight. Those were the only times he ever really felt alive. The sight of things like blood and his enemies writhing in pain made his body flood with adrenaline. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help himself.

Kramer knew he had some good traits, like his love of animals and his protective nature over little kids, but mostly he just felt evil.

He was not innocent and he knew that. He gave up trying to be good a long time ago, and instead let his inner darkness swallow him whole, consuming him with evil passions and dark desires. He became one with his sadism, instead of running from it like most people do. He was a terrible, bad boy and he knew it too.

He didn't feel bad for killing those four tributes. He didn't feel bad for bludgeoning his brother's bully to death on the school playground when he was fourteen. He felt nothing.

A frustrated feeling came over Kramer as he pulled at his scarlet hair. He really wanted to be normal sometimes. He really wanted to love and trust people like his little brother could. His brother. Bentley was so innocent, so young and sweet. Kramer would do anything to keep him from becoming like him. If he died in this arena, Bentley might get angry and turn sadistic like he did, and that was Kramer's worst fear. His little brother was one of the only things he cared about. He couldn't let him ruin himself too.

He had to come home.

And he would do whatever it took to ensure that he did.

* * *

Cain laid down on the bench next to one of the rides and closed his eyes, feeling the warm afternoon sunlight on his face. Today was the first time he had eaten in nearly three days and it felt wonderful.

Lithium had shown him that there were things to eat at nearly every food court and shop. He was so thankful that she had come around and saved him. He now had a protector, a food source, and a potential friend. He didn't know why he hadn't taken up her offer on an alliance in the capitol.

He looked up to see Lithium sitting next to him on the bench, eating a hot dog. She looked over at him and smiled. "This isn't that bad, actually." She smiled.

Cain smiled back as he propped his head up on the bench. The dwindling sunlight casted a beautiful golden glow over the side of Lithium's face and Cain tried to commit every passing moment to memory. He laid his head back down on the bench and closed his eyes again.

After a while, Lithium stood up and asked Cain if he wanted to go back to their shelter in the ticket booth. Cain nodded as he got up and the two walked back to the edge of the kiddie park.

"Today has been pretty good actually." Lithium said with raised eyebrows as they walked to the ticket booth. "We haven't run into any tributes yet and we've been getting along just fine. I'm glad you're finally coming out of your shell, Cain." She said nicely as they reached their destination.

Cain nodded. He was still a little bit shy around Lithium, but he had noticed that he was warming up to her a little bit too. It was a new feeling since back home, no one had even given him a chance. He liked having a companion and wondered why he never let anyone close to him before.

One thing was for sure, Lithium was the best ally he could have ever hoped for and he wouldn't be dying anytime soon as long as she was by his side.

* * *

**R.I.P. Marina**

**Marina was interesting. I don't usually read about careers as conflicted and as soft as her, so that was what made me like her so much. I never had her winning though, so here she is, dead.**

**A/N: alright don't shoot me, i know I've been gone a while. There's just been A LOT going on lately. But anyways, the plot is coming together. We're getting to know Kramer a little bit better and, also, what is that growling Lorelei and Haven hear? Leave your guesses via review! Plus, i finally watched The Purge and i think the idea of it is so cool! Well yeah, anyways sorry for being gone for nearly two weeks.**


	29. On The Loose

The next morning, Velvet opened her eyes to find that Jude and Knives were already up. They were talking by the back of the cornucopia, glancing at Velvet every once in a while. Velvet rolled back over in her sleeping bag with a grunt. Those stupid District Two tributes never did like her anyway, so she might as well let them be.

Looking to her left, she saw that the fourth sleeping bag was empty. Of course it was. Marina was dead. The memory of her twanged a bit painfully in Velvet's heart. She knew the girl would die eventually, but her actual demise was so gruesome that Velvet couldn't help but feel a little bit bad. Marina wasn't anything more than an ally, but she was the closest thing Velvet had to a friend in here.

She remembered seeing her face in the sky last night. Knives seemed a little bit sad as well even though she didn't openly show it. Jude, on the other hand, just looked disappointed. And even though Velvet hated the boy's guts, she could understand why. A career killed by a little twelve year old. It was just about as bad as it got.

Suddenly, Jude's deep bass voice rang out, bringing Velvet out of her thoughts. "Velvet, get over here." He demanded.

"Kay." Velvet sighed. She slipped out of her sleeping bag and yawned. As she tied her blonde hair into a ponytail, she looked over at her two fellow careers who looked a bit impatient. She jogged over to them with a giant fake smile.

"What's up?" She asked innocently.

Jude crossed his arms and glanced at Knives, who wouldn't even look at the two of them. "Alright, I'm not going to dance around the subject, so I'm just gonna say it. We're breaking up this alliance." He stated flatly.

Velvet cocked an eyebrow, a bit amused by what she was hearing. "Um... What?" She half laughed.

"I didn't stutter, did I? This alliance is over." Jude repeated evenly, fire in his voice.

"What do you mean 'over'? There's still like thirteen tributes left." Velvet said with a confused look on her face.

Jude took his burning gaze off of her for a moment and sighed before making eye contact again. "After Marina's death yesterday, it got me thinking. There's only three of us left in this career pack, and let's be honest, there's an obvious rivalry between you, Knives, and myself. The more that the tributes dwindle, the more intense that rivalry seems to grow. It makes me uncomfortable sleeping next to someone that obviously wants me dead and so I came to the conclusion that sooner or later, there's going to be a falling out. I'd rather it be now as opposed to later. I spoke to Knives this morning also for reassurance and she agreed that it was the best thing to do." Jude explained in a steady voice.

As his words sunk in, Velvet's smile faded away. By the look in his cold grey eyes, she knew this wasn't a joke. Jude never played around. It was two against one, and in her mind that only meant one thing.

"What, do you think you're going to kill me now?" She glared at Jude.

Jude cracked a little smile at that. "We may be enemies, Velvet, but I'm not unfair. To answer your question, no, we're not going to kill you. We are going to go our separate ways today, unharmed. But I'm going to warn you now, if I see you again, there will be a showdown. And I will not hesitate to kill you." Jude warned her honestly.

Velvet glared at the ground as she took her eyes off of him. No no no, this was not part of her plan. She was supposed to stay with the career pack until at least the final five, THEN go her separate way. The careers had never split up is early in past Hunger Games. This was not part of the plan!

Anger suddenly bubbled in her chest as she pursed her lips into a thin white line. This boy was ruining her chances at winning. Without any allies, who would watch her back when she went hunting? Who would take turns guarding at night? Who would help her fight other tributes? This was all wrong. She had never prepared for this back at the academy. They never _bothered_ to prepare them for this at the academy. It was always assumed that career districts would be a part of the career pack.

But what could she do? Refuse to leave an alliance that no longer existed? It was impossible. Any way she thought about it, she couldn't keep this alliance together. She was going to end up alone and it was inevitable. She felt like crying from frustration, but she refused let herself break. Not in front of them.

"Fine." Velvet glared into Jude's soul, hoping she made him feel bad. "Fine, I'll leave. But I'm going to give you a warning too, District Two. If it comes down to me verses one of you in the finale, you'd better be scared because I won't hold back either." She growled.

And with that, she grabbed her her vest of throwing knives off the back wall and stormed out of the cornucopia. She left the District Two tributes in the dust, feeling extremely singled out and rejected. A tear rolled down her cheek as she strode into the maze of rides, but not from sadness. It was from anger. She HOPED she saw Jude or Knives in the finale. She would show them. She would show everyone.

Back at the cornucopia, Jude and Knives watched Velvet's blonde head disappear behind one of the roller coasters.

"Do you think she'll come back?" Knives asked, looking up at Jude.

Jude shook his head as he snapped himself out of his gaze. "No, she would be stupid to. It's two against one." He said reassuringly.

Knives nodded, looking down.

She felt bad for Velvet, but she _did_ inflict it on herself. Maybe if she wasn't so argumentative and rude all the time, they would still be together. But there were no 'what if's' and Knives couldn't afford to take any chances. The bottom line was that Velvet wasn't trustworthy and she needed to be extracted from the alliance whether it hurt her feelings or not.

Jude put a protective hand over Knives' shoulder, seeing the conflicting emotions in her eyes, and led her back into the cornucopia. "It's fine." Jude sighed. "But on another note, it looks like we're the only ones left in the career pack." He said simply as he tucked one of his hooked knives into his pocket. "I hoped we would be the last ones." He said with a small smile.

Knives smiled softly back at him. Looking at Jude, she felt confident. He was surely the strongest and most skilled tribute left in the arena. Knives was skilled too, but having someone like Jude to back her up made her feel unstoppable. If Velvet did come back, they would be ready. She was sure of it.

* * *

Back at the ferris wheel, Petunia and Aspen sat in the ticket booth, feeling extremely guilty.

"I can't get over it, Petunia." Aspen's voice broke and his chin trembled. "I _killed_ her." He said, his voice full of remorse. More tears rolled down his face.

Aspen had been crying ever since Marina's face appeared in the sky last night. In her picture, she had been smiling so shyly, looking down at the two twelve year olds with innocent blue eyes. That was enough to bring Aspen to tears. He didn't even know the girl's last name and now she was dead because of him.

Aspen had cried himself to sleep last night, feeling overwhelmed with guilt. He hoped that he wouldn't feel so bad about it in the morning, but that wasn't the case at all. If anything, he felt even worse. Petunia had been trying all morning to rationalize with him, but he couldn't shake the painfully heavy sadness inside of him.

"She _did_ volunteer for this, Aspen. She had to have known somewhere in her heart that there was a chance she would get killed." Petunia sympathized with him as she rubbed her ally's back. "You saved our lives. It was either her or us."

Aspen nodded, trying to see it like she did. "I know it was either her or us, but I just can't believe I killed her. I didn't think I was capable of that." He said, looking at the ground.

Petunia shrugged. "Being a tribute in the Hunger Games will push you to the limit and it breaks some people, eventually ending up in them getting killed. You can't change what happened, but you can change the way you perceive it. You saved our lives and that's something to be proud of." Petunia said to him, trying to reason with him.

After a moment of silence, Aspen nodded. "You know what, Petunia? You're right. What's done is done." He said flatly, thinking abut her advice. "It's just hard to accept."

Petunia looked at her tearful ally with understanding eyes. "It's okay. Everything is okay." She soothed as she embraced Aspen in a hug.

Aspen wrapped his arms around his friend as well. He hoped she was right.

* * *

Lithium and Cain sat near one of the kiddie rides, glancing around them every once in a while. It was strange that they hadn't run into any tributes lately, but maybe it was for the better. Over the past two days, Cain had been coming out of his shell a little bit more and seemed more hopeful about making it further in the games. To Cain, he finally had a friend, but for Lithium, it was something very different.

Lithium had been paying close attention to him during their time together and noticed that Cain was in fact very gullible.

That was good. She liked gullible. It always made it much more exciting when she had her fun with them.

Lithium always did have a knack for silently gathering information about people. After a short period of observation, she would know exactly what to say and how to act in front of him. Cain had unknowingly given her all she needed to know and now she just had to let the pieces fall into place.

And from the way Cain treated her, she knew she had him wrapped around her finger.

Lithium felt that familiar gnawing feeling grow inside of her over the past few days and she knew it wouldn't be long now before it boiled over. It had happened many, many times before and the aftermath of every single one of them was something unbelievable.

To her it was a game. And she always won.

Looking over at Cain, sitting with his shoulders hunched over like that, Lithium felt her eyes grow dark. She would easily be able to take him, but something inside her hoped he would fight back when it happened.

Lithium was snapped out of the darkness of her mind when she heard Cain's voice. "Don't you think the gamemakers will get bored of us if we just sit around here the whole time?" He asked curiously. The sun cast a shadow over his face in such a way, it made him appear almost younger. Cain's brown eyes looked at her expectantly under his glasses.

Lithium smiled a little bit. "Nope, there was a cannon yesterday. Hopefully that will keep the capitol entertained for now." She said with a sweet smile.

Cain nodded as he looked out into the distance. "I hope we don't have to see any of the other tributes for a while. I'd like to put that off for as long as possible." He sighed, keeping the conversation going.

Lithium shrugged. "Even if we do run into anyone, we both have weapons. We'll have a chance against them." She said convincingly. "I wouldn't be worried, darling."

Cain smiled as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Yeah." He said softly as he went back to looking at the horizon thoughtfully.

Lithium had to keep a sinister grin from creeping across her face.

* * *

Velvet prowled through the arena, feeling livid. She _dared_ another tribute to enter her line of vision right now. She would knife anyone who got in her way, even her own district partner. Nothing could control her anger. She had tried punching that stone wall that surrounded the arena earlier and now her hand was hurt and throbbing. She didn't care though. No physical pain could make up for what she was feeling inside.

Maybe she should have stuck it out alone from the beginning. Then, perhaps, she wouldn't have to feel the humiliation of being kicked out of the career pack halfway into the games. Kramer had been alone this whole time and he obviously wasn't dead yet, so clearly that's what she should have done.

Her lower jaw protruded in anger as she trekked through the east wing of the amusement park. Why hadn't she seen any tributes yet! Where were these rats hiding? It was now sunset and she still had yet to find anyone.

She ached to fling her knife into someone. She wanted to inflict pain on someone else for what had just happened to her. More than anything, she wanted to jam her knife into Jude's handsome face. She had never disliked someone so badly before. Burning hatred pulsed through her veins, consuming her.

This wasn't just about the money and the fame anymore. This was about proving herself. She would show those stupid District Two tributes that they made the _wrong_ decision getting rid of her. Everyone would be sorry for underestimating her when she won.

Suddenly, a small frame passed Velvet's eyes and without even thinking, she reacted.

With a flick of her wrist, she flung one of her throwing knives in the little girl's direction. The knife whizzed through the air and the girl heard it. She ducked and the knife missed her, flying into the ride behind her instead.

With a growl, Velvet lunged forward. The little girl shrieked as she came barreling towards her and began running too. The girl's long, white-blonde braid swung in the wind as she picked up speed.

The girl was fast, but the chase didn't last long. Velvet's legs were longer and she had more endurance. With an outreached hand, Velvet yanked the little kid by the braid and slammed her to the ground.

The little girl let out a pained yelp as she cradled her head.

Upon closer look, Velvet recognized her as the girl from District Six, Wisteria. She looked so much younger in person, like she was eight instead of twelve. That didn't make her feel bad for what she was about to do though.

"Please, please let me g-" Wisteria cried out as Velvet got on top of her, pinning her down.

Velvet laughed loudly. "You never had a chance, kid." She said as she sent a knife plunging into her throat.

BOOM!

The cannon sounded and Velvet plucked her little knife out of the girl's bloody neck.

"Please, please spare me." Velvet mocked in a child's voice. She laughed as she wiped the knife off on her pants. She now had more kills than both Jude and Knives.

_She_ was the one to beat in this thing now and everyone else had better be scared.

* * *

As the sun went down, Haven and Lorelei crashed for the night in their ticket booth next to the Log Flume. The cannon that boomed earlier signaled another tribute's death. If Lorelei had been counting correctly, that was now twelve tributes dead. They were halfway there.

She turned to Haven, who was gazing up into the sky, waiting for the anthem.

After a few more minutes, the anthem filled the arena with it's musical tunes and The Fallen were shown. Apparently, the cannon from a few hours ago belonged to Wisteria Cade of District Six. Her face shimmered in the night sky and Haven sighed.

"I was hoping it was a career." He muttered, disappointed.

Lorelei frowned at the blonde girl's image in the sky. She barely remembered anything of Wisteria during training. It was still strange to her how these people were dying every day and she had never even spoken to them.

As the anthem ended and Wisteria's face faded away, the sky went back to being black and the crickets in the background were audible again.

Another thing that was audible once again was that inhuman grumbling in the distance. Lorelei's sleep had been disturbed by it for the past few nights and if anything it was growing louder.

She turned to Haven. "Hey, do you-" she began.

Haven put his hand on Lorelei's shoulder, interrupting her. "Shh, listen." He commanded in a cautious voice.

Lorelei obeyed and stopped talking. She looked at Haven as he listened in on the unnatural sound. He narrowed his blue eyes, trying to distinguish it.

"Do you hear that?" He said quietly.

Lorelei nodded. "Yeah, I've been meaning to bring it up, but I keep forgetting."

"If anything, it's getting louder with each passing night." He said suspiciously. "What could it be?"

Lorelei shrugged. "Beats me." She replied.

Even though they didn't know where that sound was coming from, Lorelei had a feeling that it would be revealing itself soon enough.

* * *

Three days later, Rory was running out of food and water and was growing tired of camping out in the arcade. He had been out a few times over the past week, but always wound up skittering back to his arcade. It was now day seven and the last death had been on day four. He knew that the gamemakers must be getting bored of him just sitting there.

He decided that it was time to leave the arcade once and for all.

Rory packed up his remaining supplies and sighed. This would be his first time exploring the arena. He was a bit nervous, but overall excited. He had been so boring over the past few days that any kind of action seemed exciting to him. If he ran into another tribute, he could easily outrun them. Plus he had two knives to defend himself with.

As he opened the arcade's doors, he took a deep breath and stepped out into the open. The air was warm and the sunshine felt good on his skin. Rory hitched his backpack over his shoulders and began walking. The first ride he passed was a dark blue painted metal roller coaster called The Tornado. It looked like one of the tallest ones in the whole park. Rory wondered what it would be like to actually ride it.

He wandered around for nearly an hour, admiring the attention to detail the gamemakers put into this year's arena. Every inch of this arena was spectacular, painted in such bright and pristine colors. Rory had never seen anything like it.

He let his mind drift back to District Eight. Rory missed lazy Saturdays where he would hide out in his room and read comic books about supernatural creatures. He missed his family's little flower shop and he missed his older sister.

By this point, Rory was walking particularly close to the stone wall, which reminded him that he was at the edge of the arena. He was still yearning for home when he thought he heard a strange noise. He stopped in his tracks immediately. Was someone trailing him? He whipped his head around, but found no one.

His heart rate accelerated as he stood still, fists clenched around his knife. If someone was hiding and planning to ambush him, they would show themselves soon enough.

As he listened closer, the noise picked up again. It was then that he realized that it was not the sound of a tribute. but something... very unnatural. Rory leaned closer to the wall instinctively and found that the sound got louder. As he listened closer, he realized it wasn't something in the arena, but something coming from behind the wall.

The longer he listened, the more the sound of inhuman growling and wet chewing grew more distinguishable.

Suddenly it clicked and his whole body turned cold.

Fear shot through him when he realized that he knew the sound. He knew exactly what was behind there. He was sure of it. All those years of reading comic books and supernatural stories were about to save his life.

He knew what was behind that wall. And he had to get as far away from it as he could.

* * *

**R.I.P. Wisteria**

**Wisteria was clever, young, and likable. She embodied all kinds of things that I like in a character. She took chances and was a savior to a few starving kids in her district, but I have to admit, i never even considered her for a victor and always had her dying by Velvet's hand right at this very time, so here she is as an obituary.**

**A/N: this update would have come out earlier, but my mom took my ipad away for a few days because i was skipping school. so yeah, that's why this took so long to write because i have all my information for this story stored on my ipad, so i couldn't really write anything until i got it back. on the bright side though, that gave me some time to plan out my ideas for the 20th and 21st games! i'm so stoked to start those once this one is done. eeee i'm so excited. anyways, half the tributes are now dead, plus the careers have finally split, and lithium is... boiling. it will only be a matter of time until the beast is unleashed. and the mystery is unraveling! so, the growling is actually coming from behind the wall. what could it be?**

**i have some questions for you!**

**1\. what do you think rory recognized behind the wall?**

**2\. who are your favorite and least favorite tributes so far?**

**3\. is there anything you would like to see happen during the games?**

**4\. and of course, just your overall thoughts on this chapter and predictions for victor.**

**leave your answers via review! i'll update as soon as i finish the next chapter! til then :)**


	30. Ripped Apart

As the sun rose on the eighth day, Jude and Knives sat inside of the cornucopia, wide awake. Knives had woke at an ungodly hour of the morning while it was still dark out and couldn't fall back asleep. The lingering fear that Velvet was lurking out there somewhere was enough to keep her eyes open.

Jude was always the early riser of the career pack and had woken up at about six in the morning. He found Knives sitting beside him, a set of throwing knives clutched in her hands. He was surprised that she was awake before him since she usually slept in, but her fear was understandable.

The sun was now peaking over the stone wall, lighting up the arena. Jude and Knives had been talking ever since the wee hours of the morning and were planning on venturing out into the arena in a bit.

"So I suggest you carry an extra knife in your boot, just in case." Jude continued talking as he looked through the weapons in the back of the cornucopia. "That way if you're disarmed, you can just whip that one out and end it."

"You're really prepared for this, aren't you?" Knives smirked, glancing at him for a second.

Jude shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "You have to be prepared for this kind of thing. It's lack of planning that gets you killed. If you're always ready, then no one can take you off guard." He said simply as he turned his knife over in his hand, making it reflect little diamonds of sunlight.

Knives nodded, watching him tuck his weapon away. "Are you always this way?" She asked suddenly.

Jude looked at her as he walked out of the cornucopia. "What way?" He asked, looking back at her.

"I mean are you always so uptight and rigid? I don't think I've seen you smile once since we've been in the arena." Knives said. She always was interested in getting to know Jude a little better and now seemed like a good time since they had some time to spare before their hunt.

Jude looked taken aback for a minute, but then he shrugged. "I guess so. I've never really been interested in the whole social thing, so I just spent most of my time training. I mean, it's not like I don't have emotions, I just don't let them get the best of me."

"Yeah, I understand. I was never any good at being social either." Knives related to him.

Jude sat down near the mouth of the cornucopia, looking out at the amusement park. "I mean I could be talkative if I wanted to be, but a lot of the times, I just don't see a need for it. I've just kind of lost that desire to have close relationships, you know?" Jude said, kind of wanting to spill his guts to Knives all of a sudden.

"Definitely." Knives nodded as she sat down across from him. "If you don't mind me asking, what makes you want to shut other people out?"

Jude looked down, deep in thought. Should he tell her? Should he- oh, why not. She was his only ally left anyways. "My older brother, Axel, volunteered for the games when I was sixteen. He was... kind of my hero, I guess? I know that sounds silly, but I really looked up to him." Jude laughed nervously as he lifted his head up. "He was my only friend for a while and I really thought he would come home..." He trailed off. "Well, he kind of died." He said emptily.

Knives looked at her ally sympathetically. "Jude, I'm really sorry." She said gently.

Jude shook his head. "It's okay." He said, not making eye contact. He sighed deeply before he spoke again. "And my parents didn't understand why I got so obsessive about training. I kind of wanted to avenge him when I volunteered. I wanted to make him proud... That led to me obsessing about everything I did. I mean like when I woke up, the way I brushed my hair, how I did my homework... Everything. Mom thought something was wrong with me so she took me to a doctor and he diagnosed me with OCD." Jude continued. "It was pretty rough to find out I had an actual mental problem."

Knives was quiet for a minute. "Again, I'm sorry, but that was really brave of you to share, Jude. I mean, I'm not sure what it's like, but you really have gone through a lot." Knives said, trying to think of the right thing to say. "If it means anything, I think you have a shot at avenging him."

She hadn't expected Jude to open up to her at all, but maybe he really did need someone to talk to. She knew that everyone put up walls, it was just surprising to see that Jude actually had feelings since he acted so cold all the time.

Jude laughed breathlessly. "You know, you're the first person I've ever really talked to about that?" He said with a small smile, looking at his ally. His grey eyes were almost watery and he looked so much more vulnerable than Knives had ever seen him before. "You must be pretty special."

Knives smiled sadly. "Yeah, I guess so." She said.

The next twenty minutes passed by quietly with both Knives and Jude deep in thought.

For Jude, It felt good to finally open up to someone. He had shut everyone out the past few years and it took being in the Hunger Games for him to finally meet someone worthy of his time. He did care about Knives, even though he knew she would have to die if he wanted to win. It had crossed his mind a few times, but he finally thought that maybe he didn't _want_ to go home.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang from behind one of the rides.

Jude instinctively perked up and scanned his surroundings.

BANG!

The noise happened again and he rose to his feet immediately. After the second time, the noise stopped, but after a few more minutes of wondering what that was, curiosity got the best of Jude.

"Stay here, Knives." He commanded. "I'm gonna find out what that was." He said evenly as he grabbed his hooked knife and walked towards the bright red roller coaster.

In the distance, a pair of wicked hazel eyes watched closely, waiting for an opening.

* * *

Kramer wandered the park, looking for the cornucopia. He had been keeping a low profile for the past few days and he decided it was time for some action. He knew that Jude had it out for him since training, but the boy had never made an appearance since they had been in the arena, so Kramer decided to take matters into his own hands. If Jude didn't come to him, the he would come to Jude.

Kramer had felt empty for the past few days. The feeling was familiar, but Kramer had always hated it. He felt bored a lot of the time and the main thing that got him excited was blood. He knew it had grown even worse since he'd been in the arena since just the thought of it couldn't get him off anymore. He needed to see it, feel it... He wanted to kill someone.

He had always been a bit sadistic, but being in the Hunger Games had magnified it. Maybe when he got home he would be able to refocus again, but for now, he had one thing on his mind.

And that was killing people.

It was the only way to get home. It was the only way to protect his mother and brother from the capitol. He would do the dirty work in here if that meant going home and keeping the two of them safe forever.

As he continued to walk through the park, he saw the cornucopia in the distance. It was placed in the middle of a clearing right in the center of the arena. Kramer stalked silently past the rides to get a better view of who was at the cornucopia.

A smile crept across his face as he saw exactly who he wanted to see. Jude was sitting right in the mouth, talking to his district partner, Knives. A plan crossed Kramer's mind immediately as he slid a long slick knife out from behind him.

With a whack, he swung the flat side of his knife into one of the metal rides, creating a ringing sound of impact across the arena. He glanced over at the cornucopia and saw Jude look up. Perfect.

But he needed him to come over here.

Again, he hit the ride with his knife and the noise sounded. This was enough to cause Jude to stand up.

And that was his cue. Kramer dashed silently through the maze of rides until he was opposite of where he used to be. He was now facing the tail of the cornucopia, hidden from the two career's views. He was standing right at the edge of the clearing, waiting for Jude to walk over to where he had hit the ride on. He knew that Jude probably thought there was a tribute there, waiting to be killed, but he was wrong.

And after a few minutes, Jude finally began to walk over to the ride. Kramer watched silently as Jude disappeared into the maze of rides. A smile stretched across his face as he realized his plan was falling into place perfectly.

Jude melted out of site and Kramer sprinted for the cornucopia. He had to keep himself from laughing in excitement and he approached the tail.

Silently, he walked around the left side of the cornucopia until Knives was within view. She was sitting right in the mouth, eyes focused on where Jude had disappeared to. Kramer took a deep breath and then slipped inside of the mouth, silently. Knives still didn't see him, but just as he was walking up from behind her, she whipped her head around.

The second she saw him, she reached for a throwing knife and flung it in his direction, but he had already anticipated that. Kramer dropped into a crouch and the knife hit the inner wall of the cornucopia instead. Wasting no time, Kramer pounced. He leapt on top of Knives and sent her crashing onto the ground.

She was trapped underneath Kramer as he drew his knife out from behind him. Knives' brown eyes were wild with fear as she tried to fight him off, but he was undeniably stronger and kept her locked in place.

But then she screamed.

"Jude!" She cried out. Kramer mentally smacked himself in the head for not foreseeing this, but quickly readjusted his plan. Instead of giving her a long and painful death like he had wanted to, he would have to make this one quick. Surely, Jude would come hurrying back now.

"Jude! Jude!" She cried out.

"Shut your mouth!" Kramer demanded as he plunged his knife into her throat.

BOOM!

As he got off of her, he saw Jude enter the clearing. His grey eyes were wide with surprise as he whipped his head around, but as he laid eyes on his dead ally and Kramer, they became narrowed in hatred. Jude barreled towards Kramer.

Kramer wasted no time in running. He sprinted out of the clearing as fast as he could, leaving Jude in the dust. Just to make sure he couldn't catch up to him, Kramer switched directions several times as he disappeared into the theme park.

Back at the cornucopia, Jude decided against trailing Kramer as soon as he exited the clearing. He knew he wouldn't be able to catch him. Instead, he ran back towards the cornucopia and dropped onto his knees next to Knives.

Blood covered her throat. A deep dark red hole had been plunged right into the center of her windpipe. Her eyes were still wide in fear, but they were lifeless now. Dead. She was dead.

Even though her cannon had rang, Jude still couldn't fully comprehend that she had been killed.

"Knives, Knives, please don't be dead. Please wake up, wake up!" His voice broke as he shook her shoulders, tears dripping down his face. "Knives... You can't be dead. You were just alive a minute ago. Please wake up." He begged her.

But she didn't respond.

After a few more minutes of trying to revive her, it hit him. She really had been killed.

With a sudden yell, Jude threw his knife into the cornucopia, sending a rack of spears clattering to the floor. He rose to his feet and slammed his fist into the side of the cornucopia. It was all useless though. No matter how hard he punched the golden horn, Knives was still dead and he didn't save her.

Jude sunk to the ground in the back of the cornucopia and he broke down. He didn't save her.

* * *

Lithium couldn't help but smile menacingly at the sound of a cannon. That was what, twelve tributes dead? That meant she was one step closer to victory. She snickered to herself as she twirled a lock of her blonde hair in her fingers. She wondered who that tribute was.

"What's so funny?" Cain asked, confused.

The smile instantly dropped from Lithium's face. Damn, she forgot that she was putting on an act for Cain. Even though she knew she had him fooled, it was becoming harder and harder to control herself.

The time was coming soon, she knew that.

"Oh nothing, sweetie." She said with a fake smile. "I was just reminiscing on a funny memory from home."

"Oh." Cain nodded as he took off his glasses. He rubbed the lenses with the bottom of his t-shirt and put them back on his face.

Cain was an oddly attractive guy without those glasses. His face wasn't classically handsome, but he was cute in a nerdy way. Lithium knew he wasn't a bad boy in the slightest, she liked to think of him that way though. She could just _imagine_ him pushing her into one of the rides and ripping her clothes off with his teeth, so slowly, working his lips across her jawline while she told him to hurry up. Then she would push him onto the ground with that defiant look in her eyes and-

"Lithium?" Cain's voice broke in, making her jump a little as she pulled herself out an explicit train of thought.

"Yes?" She replied, her voice sweet and soft. if only he knew...

"i asked you if you wanted to move locations." Cain said as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

Lithium shrugged. "I guess we could if you want." She said with innocent eyes. "It _would_ give us a chance to explore the arena."

Cain smiled as he rose to his feet. "Sweet."

* * *

Rory wandered down the boardwalk, looking for a place to take shelter for the apocalypse. He knew what no one else knew and that made him afraid. He was the _only_ tribute that had the knowledge of what was behind that wall. Surely if he didn't inform the other tributes, the zombies would kill them as well. Just the thought struck guilt in his heart. He could prevent it.

He didn't know when the gamemakers would break down the wall and release the mutts, but he knew it might be soon. There were still twelve tributes left in the game, so that might give him some time to save a few of them.

He knew the sound as soon as he heard it. Zombies were known for their distinguishable throaty growls and gurgling moans they made. Rory knew from the informative books he read on the supernatural that zombies could be killed with a bullet to the head, but there were no guns in the Hunger Games. Rory frowned as he tried to think of a way they could be beaten. He knew that zombies couldn't climb, so maybe if he found high ground, he would be safe. Serra had always laughed at him for preparing for a zombie apocalypse, but now this information was vital for his survival.

Rory was still deep in thought as he passed through a few food courts and gift stores along the way. The shops down here were striped with firetruck red and creamy white paints. It was a nice change from all the gaudy bright colors of the rest of the theme park.

A figure sitting along the edge of the boardwalk caught Rory's attention as he walked. His dark blue eyes lit up and he stopped walking immediately.

He instinctively gripped onto his knife tighter as he glanced at the tribute. He almost wanted to kill him while his back was turned so that he wouldn't have to know who it was. Wait, what was he thinking? He wasn't looking to _kill_ tributes, he was looking to _save_ them.

Rory instantly felt relieved as he let go of the knife and dropped it back in his pocket. He wasn't going to kill this boy, he was going to help him! The thought brought a smile to his face.

As he walked closer, he recognized the back of the boy's head. It was the pothead from District Five. His name was Freddie if he remembered correctly. He had short clipped dark hair just like Rory and he was tall and lean.

"Hey." Rory said politely as he walked up from behind him.

Freddie instantly jumped up and whirled around, coming face to face with the boy.

"L-look I don't w-want any trouble." Freddie stuttered as he backed away and put his hands up.

Rory laughed lightly. "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you." He said, making his voice as friendly as he could. "I was, uh, actually wondering if you would wanna, um, be my ally." Rory fumbled, trying to think of the best way to approach the topic.

Freddie frowned slightly. "A-ally?" He questioned, not quite believing the boy yet.

Rory nodded once. "I mean, I know it's a sudden proposal, but I have good motives. Trust me." He said.

Freddie pursed his lips. "And what exactly are your motives?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Rory took a deep breath. "Have you been hearing that, well, that noise behind the big stone wall lately?" He asked.

Freddie's eyes got wider. "Y-yeah, actually. It's been getting louder, I think." He nodded.

"Well I kind of know what it is and, a-and, I don't want to be the only one to know about it. I just want to save as many people as I can before the apocalypse comes. That's why I want an ally to ride this thing out with." Rory explained.

Freddie cocked an eyebrow. "Apocalypse?" He repeated.

Rory nodded with his eyes closed. "The mutts this year are zombies." He said as he dared to look back at Freddie.

Freddie's eyes got wider. He was quiet for a moment as he thought out Rory's proposal in his head. "Gosh, well... Well I guess maybe we should be allies then. You seem to know more about this than me." He said after a moment of deliberation.

Rory sighed in relief and smiled. "Oh thank god, I was worried I wouldn't be able to help you." He said.

"On one condition." Freddie said evenly.

Rory raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?" He asked.

"No one else finds out about this." Freddie said, his brown eyes serious.

Rory was taken aback for a moment. His original plan was to save as many tributes as he could, but maybe, if that's what it would take to recruit Freddie then perhaps he should adjust his plan. If he lost Freddie, he probably wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he died.

After a moment, Rory nodded. "Alright, deal."

* * *

As the sun went down on the eighth day in the arena, the two District Ten tributes, Haven and Lorelei set up camp near the Log Flume once again.

"How's your arm, Haven?" Lorelei asked as she looked over at her ally.

Haven shrugged. "It's kind of stiff and sore, but it's a _lot_ better than it was a few days ago." Haven laughed breathlessly as he thought back to how broken his arm was on day two. That was without a doubt the scariest day of his life. He was lucky to have come out of that fall with only a broken arm. He could have died. The thought made him want to change the subject immediately. "Lorelei I have a question... What do you think would be worse? Dying in the arena or winning the games?" Haven asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Lorelei looked at him like he had a second head. "What kind of a question is that? Dying would obviously be the worse option."

Haven shrugged. "Not if you think about it. I mean, if you die in here then you're dead. That's it, no more suffering. On the other hand, if you win, you're basically a slave to the capitol for the rest of your life, which is probably worse than dying." Haven explained as he straightened out his sleeping bag.

Lorelei was quiet for a minute as she pulled her blonde hair into a ponytail. After a moment of thinking, she spoke. "I guess that's one way of thinking about it. If you win though, your district gets a year's worth of food. Plus, you get to see your family again. Maybe you're right about being a slave, but at least you never have to worry about starving to death again. You'll be filthy rich too." Lorelei said.

Haven shook his head as he tossed his backpack on the other side of his sleeping bag. "Yeah yeah, sure you get all these riches and stuff, but maybe that's just to cover up the truth of what winning is really like. Guilt, shame, having to put on a smile for the nation when you really feel like just slitting your wrists, alcoholism and drugs... I've thought about this a lot since I got reaped. Plus, god knows what else the president will want you to do behind closed doors." Haven frowned as he sat down. "Sometimes I think it might not be worth it, but then I think of my family." He sighed. "And that's the reason why I want to come home. That's the only reason."

Lorelei sat down too. "Well at least you're still determined to get home, right." She said as looked out at the scenery.

"Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be a second rebellion. I mean, I can't be the only one who hates-" Haven began.

"Haven, you can't say things like that." Lorelei interrupted him as looked around with wild eyes for a camera. "That's dangerous!" She hissed at him.

Haven clicked his teeth. "Yep, sorry. I have a tendency of taking things too far." He laughed humorlessly. "Anyways, have you been thinking about what that sound behind the wall might be?" Haven asked, changing the subject.

"Not really, but I'm sure you have." She smirked as she looked at her curly haired ally. Lorelei knew Haven was way smarter than he let on. He pretended he wasn't, but he was _so_ absorbent and saw every clue.

Haven cracked a smile. "I have indeed." He said, his blue eyes sparkling with something purely Haven. "I feel like I might have figured it out." He revealed.

Lorelei raised an eyebrow. "Well, go on." She said, motioning him to continue.

"Alright, we've been noticing how that growling gets louder every day, right? Well I have a feeling it isn't something _inside_ the arena, but something _outside_ of the arena." Haven said as he leaned back against the ticket booth's wooden walls. "What else would that stone wall be for? To keep something out."

"Something?" Lorelei said, hinting him to explain.

"Mutts." Haven said flatly. "I'm almost certain that there are mutts behind that wall. I mean it makes perfect sense, but the only question is when will they be released?"

Lorelei shrugged. "Maybe when we get down to the top five or so? That's usually when mutts get released, when there are only a few tributes left."

"I'm just wondering if there's anything else that would give us a clue, you know? If there's anything tied into this mystery." Haven said as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"I don't know, I mean, what else is there? It's not like the gamemakers would give us a countdown or anything. Maybe that's all the clues we've been given." Lorelei laughed, joking.

Haven shrugged, but after a moment he jerked upright. "Wait, Lorelei, say that again!" He commanded, his eyes wide.

Lorelei looked at him, confused. "It's not like they gave us a countdown or anything?" She repeated, not hearing anything surprising in what she said. What had Haven-

Wait.

Suddenly, it all clicked into place and Lorelei lurched up and gasped. "Haven!" She said with wide eyes. "The clock!"

Haven nodded. "The clock is a countdown. It has to be." He said evenly.

Lorelei's mouth dropped open. That big clock on that tall pink building wasn't just an old wonky clock after all. It was a countdown. It ticked backwards because it was counting down the days until the wall would break down and the mutts would be released. Lorelei assumed that once the clock hit midnight, the mutts would be freed.

By the look in Haven's eyes, he was thinking the same thing.

"What number is the clock on now?" Lorelei asked.

Haven jumped up and looked out the large window hole in their ticket booth. He craned his head until he could see the clock resting upon the large pink building in the center of the arena. "The hour hand is just past the one, which I'm guessing... I guess it means we have a little over one day left." He said as he sat back down. "Only one day, Lorelei." Haven said seriously.

A chill swam through her. One day wasn't very long at all.

"We need to find a safe shelter first thing tomorrow." Lorelei said.

"You're right. We'll pack up in the morning." Haven nodded.

Lorelei laid down slowly in her sleeping bag. "What could the mutts be this year?" She asked, turning to Haven.

Haven smirked. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow night."

* * *

As night fell over the amusement park, Aspen and Petunia sat on the edge of the carousel, waiting for the anthem.

Aspen had slowly returned to his usual self over the past few days. He was a little more melancholy than before, but Petunia was relieved to finally have her friend back. He wasn't completely over the fact that he had killed someone, but he did smile more and had started talking again.

Suddenly, the capitol seal appeared in the dark night sky and the musical tunes of the anthem filled the arena. As The Fallen were projected into the sky, Aspen waited eagerly for the first face to be shown. He hoped it was a career.

And his wish was granted.

The only face to be shown in the sky that night was Knives Sinclair of District Two. In her picture, she wasn't smiling, just looking into the distance with wide eyes. Aspen remembered her briefly from training. He knew her as the weak link of the careers, but apparently she wasn't _that_ weak if she beat out both Raegan and Marina.

Aspen was hoping it was one of the stronger careers, like Jude or Velvet, but he guessed any of them would do. He knew Kramer from District One was a strong competitor too, but Aspen would never wish death upon him. After all, he _did_ save their lives in the bloodbath.

Suddenly, there was a sound from behind them. It as the sound of a soft impact against a metal surface. Aspen listened for it again, but it never resurfaced, so he shrugged it off.

But perhaps he should have paid more attention to it.

Suddenly, a dark figure leapt out of the corner of Aspen's eyesight and landed on Petunia.

Petunia screamed and tried to free herself of it's grip and Aspen whipped his head in her direction immediately. Petunia was being held hostage by a blonde tribute, screaming and kicking. The attacker appeared to be the girl from District One, Velvet. She was smiling as she pulled out a knife from her vest.

"Petunia!" Aspen cried out as he scrambled towards her.

"Aspen, run! Save yourself! Get out of h-" Petunia began to cry out as Velvet held a knife to her neck.

Aspen was frozen in place, eyes locked on the scene in front of him. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Petunia's eyes wild with unexplainable terror, the sudden jerk of Velvet's knife across her throat, the blood dripping down his ally's neck.

BOOM!

Aspen made eye contact with Petunia's killer and she laughed menacingly as she threw Petunia's dead body aside and it landed onto the concrete ground. She looked down for a moment to wipe the blood off her knife, but when she looked back up, the little boy was gone.

"Damn it." Velvet frowned. She could have gotten another kill.

* * *

**R.I.P. Knives and Petunia**

**Knives was a very different District Two tribute and a lot of you were rooting for her, surprisingly. She was very relatable and passive. One of you guest reviewers asked me yesterday if I would keep her until the finale at least.. I totally would have considered that, it's just that I had already written her death a few days prior as i was working on this chapter. I'm sorry! I'll miss her and I know a lot of you will too :(**

**Petunia was the perfect little ally for Aspen. She was very shy at first, but as the story went on and her and Aspen's friendship grew, the more her personality shined through. Her death was pretty sad for me to write, but it was needed for future plots for other characters.**

**A/N: so summer is finally here (thank god) and that means i'll have more time for writing yay! Anyways, Velvet is on the loose and is as lethal as ever, and so is Kramer. District One is really on fire this year! Plus, Haven and Lorelei (and Rory) have made a discovery. Did you expect that? I'm so stoked that this story is finally getting exciting. I'll update soon :) and today (june 4th) is my dog's birthday if anyone cares lmao.**


	31. Unmasked

The sun rose on the ninth day, Lithium's whole body shook violently with a gnawing hunger that came from the deepest part of her very being. She knew today was the day.

She hadn't slept last night. She couldn't. No matter how much she tried to coax herself into slumber, her eyelids just wouldn't grow heavy. She had never felt so awake. It was almost _painful_, how much effort it took to keep herself from slitting his throat during the nighttime hours. She would have killed Cain in his sleep, but she knew she needed to wait until the sun was up. She wanted to _see_ his demise.

It had been the longest night of her life, even longer than spending the first night in a jail cell back in District Three.

These nine days in the arena had driven her absolutely mad. After her first kill in the bloodbath, she felt content for a day or so, but Ike's death hadn't been gruesome enough for her. That craving for torturing someone quickly found it's way back into her system.

Her next kill had been that feisty one from Five. That girl's death had kept her satisfied for a few days, longer than Ike had, but if anything, Lithium's need to spill blood became more intense and more difficult to control after that sense of calm eroded away.

She knew Cain's death would be the best one yet because she had actually gotten to know him. She just needed him to wake up before she got started.

It wasn't until last night that she heard these weird throaty moaning noises coming from somewhere nearby. She quickly figured that it was probably a mutt, but she wasn't afraid of that. She wasn't afraid of anything.

Finally, Cain began to stir.

As his eyes opened, a heavy surge of adrenaline coursed through Lithium's body and she couldn't control her shaking arms. The innocent little girl inside of her didn't want to kill her sweet and naive ally, but the psychopath in her overpowered any doubt. She felt the darkness cover her heart.

"Oh hey, L-Lithium." Cain slurred as he stretched his tired limbs. He reached for his glasses and adjusted them over his eyes as he sat up and smiled. His smile slowly faded away as he saw how strange his ally was acting. She was huddled in the corner of their shelter and had an almost demonic look in her eyes. "A-are you okay?" He asked gently, beginning to feel nervous.

Lithium jolted her head up. "O-oh hi, sweetheart." She smiled, but even her lips were shaking. "Can we take a walk outside? I have something to tell you."

Cain nodded with wide eyes, suddenly feeling a lot more awake. "Sure." He said cautiously.

As the two stepped outside of their ticket booth on the other end of the kiddie park, Lithium's shaking become less rapid and her heartbeat slowed down a little bit. She needed to stay calm. She wanted to enjoy this. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, commanding herself to act normal.

"Cain." She said in a very relaxed voice as she turned around, facing her ally. Her blue eyes were softer, more casual than they were a few minutes ago. "Do you remember that big announcement at school in the beginning of May about that girl that had, well, been charged with... manslaughter?" She asked, sounding very calm.

"Yeaaah?" Cain drawled. He was a bit worried about why she was asking him this.

"Did you know who that was?" Lithium asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Cain shook his head. "No, I don't remember her name. I heard some kids saying she was a junior though at our school though. She was pretty popular."

Lithium nodded. That was all very true. "Look, I know you saw me in handcuffs at the reaping. Let's not pretend you weren't curious about that." Lithium said evenly.

Can gulped. Sure he was curious, but he had figured that if she wanted to talk about it, she would. He didn't want to upset her by diving into a touchy topic.

"Do you know why I was in jail?" Lithium asked darkly.

"W-why?" Cain asked, afraid of what she might say.

"I'm a killer." She said simply as she took out her knife. It glistened in the sun, reflecting diamonds of morning sunlight.

Cain gasped quietly. Was... was Lithium that girl in the school announcement?

"I'm a sociopath, a sexual sadist. Some therapists said nymphomaniac, but I disagree with that one. You see, the thing about me is that I like blood." She sighed dreamily. "I used to cut my lovers to feel closer to them. The idea of torturing someone I'm attracted to makes me feel... it makes me feel so alive. There's just something in all that blood I drown them in, the way they scream, the look in their eyes..." She said, far away.

Cain's heart beat quickened as they made eye contact.

"I got away with murdering a few of my boyfriends." She said darkly. "The last one though, he left me as soon as he found out about my obsession. He said I was insane, a monster. And I guess I am... Do you want to know what happened to him, Cain?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Wh-what?" Cain asked, beginning to shake. He had a feeling he knew what happened.

"I tracked him down. I dragged him out into a hidden alleyway next to our school and dismembered him. I chopped him into little tiny pieces." She said calmly. "There was so much blood... So much..." She said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I guess the cops heard him screaming, because next thing I know, I was caught red handed. That's how I wound up in jail and that's why they were going to execute me after the reaping. So I volunteered." She said, looking directly at him.

"Y-you were th-that girl?" Cain dared to ask, eyes wide.

Lithium looked down at her knife as she turned it around in her hand. "Mm hm." She said in a bored voice.

Cain's insides froze. He knew he recognized Lithium at the reaping, but he just couldn't put his finger on where from. It all made since now.

"A-are you going to kill me now t-too?" Cain asked, trembling in fear.

"Yes." Lithium answered simply.

Cain gasped, his fate closing in on him. She was going to kill him all along, wasn't she? All this sweetness and sympathy she gave him was nothing but an act to lure him in. She had been manipulating him the whole time.

"Oh, don't be afraid, Cain. Please cherish your last moments, I want to see it in your face." She begged him as she walked towards him. "I know I'm completely insane, don't look at me like that."

Suddenly, Cain felt the need to escape. He felt fear, he felt anger, he felt shock... He knew what was about to happen.

"You're completely insane in the most sinister way possible." Cain mumbled, gathering the courage to look right at her. "And I want no part in it."

She sighed with a small smile. "I love it when they fight me. It makes everything so much more fun." Lithium giggled. "You really are a nasty little boy, aren't you Cain?"

"I'm not your nasty little boy." Cain practically spat at her.

Lithium giggled again. "Oh but you are. Now get down on your knees." She commanded.

Cain refused to obey orders and stood there, holding his own for once. He wasn't going to die like this, just giving in. That's all he ever did. He knew he was trapped because if he ran, she would knife him while his back was turned. His only option was...

"I said get down!" Lithium yelled, sudden fire in her eyes.

Cain set his jaw and breathed in slowly. Then he lunged.

Lithium screeched as his fingers found her throat. She wasn't expecting him to attack her like that. He could have ended it all right there, but Cain's hands were shaking and Lithium took that opportunity to knock him off of her. Cain fell onto the ground and Lithium got on top of him, but he wasn't giving up that easily. He sent his fist flying into her jaw and she recoiled in pain.

With a growl, Lithium's eyes grew dark. It was a familiar sensation. She didn't even feel the physical pain that was just inflicted upon her. No, she was way too excited. Adrenaline flowed through her body and she let out a menacing laugh.

Cain squirmed underneath her as Lithium revealed her knife from behind her back. "You don't want to get on your knees for me? Fine, lose your knees then." She growled as she sent the knife plunging into both of his kneecaps.

Cain let out a blood curdling scream and it was like music to Lithium's ears.

Pain burst across Cain's legs, making him unable to move his lower body. His face contorted into one of pure agony and by the wild look in Lithium's eyes, she was enjoying every second of it.

"I've never had to control myself for so long. It has been so _difficult_ to wait, Cain! I nearly drove myself mad!" Lithium cried out in anger as she jerked him upright into a standing position and slammed him down on his knees. His destroyed, impaled knees. It felt like hot fire flowing through both of his legs. Cain struggled to keep a cry of pain down his throat.

"Do you know how hard I've had it in here?" Lithium yelled at him.

"L-Lithium stop!" Cain gasped in pain as he scrunched his face into an expression of anguish. "Lithium, what are you doing to me?" He cried out.

Lithium laughed maniacally. "Not so sweet anymore, am I?" She laughed as she brought out a smaller, thinner blade.

The first drag of her knife was on his shoulder. She slid the blade down the back of his arm as he mewled in pain and arched his back. She loved seeing his flesh slide across the blade like that.

Lithium had never felt so alive. Her whole body felt electric, whereas Cain's whole body felt like it was on fire.

"Please, stop! Make it stop! _Please_!" Cain cried out, tears staining his face.

Lithium giggled. "Baby, we're only getting started." She said in a voice full of fake sweetness.

Cain's cannon rang an hour later.

* * *

BOOM!

The sound of a cannon jolted Jude out of his sleep. He snapped his eyes open abruptly, gasping for air, and soon realized he was soaked in a cold sweat.

Something within the boy had changed. He didn't feel as invincible as he did when he had first entered the arena. He knew he had lost it yesterday and broke down on national television, exposing himself to everyone. For some reason though, he didn't care at all. He felt like a little child again. Vulnerable, weak, afraid.

Jude didn't feel manly and powerful anymore. He felt like... Jude. Over the years, he had let himself grow so hard and cold in the hopes of becoming the ultimate victor that he forgot what it was like to feel emotions. He forgot the boy he really was.

Knives' death triggered something inside of him that made everything real again. He felt so many emotions flood his body for the first time in so long, he just let them consume them. He had been denying it the whole time he was in the arena, but he really did care about Knives. He didn't think that he loved her since he had only known her for a few weeks, but he knew that if she were still alive then it would have progressed to that.

To think of what it could have been made Jude's heart ache with sadness.

It was never going to end well, he knew that. He knew that she would have to die if he wanted to make it home, but he was starting to think that he didn't even want to go home. What was waiting for him there? It's not like his family really loved him. They loved what he could do for them, but that was about it. They didn't even cry when Axel had died.

They probably wouldn't cry when he died either.

A cold, scary feeling pooled in the bottom of his stomach. It dragged it's icy claws down his spine, chilling him to the bone. He didn't recognize it at first because he had never felt like that before, but after a moment, he could finally label it.

It was the feeling of being suicidal.

He had never felt like this before because he was so deluded in the idea that fame and fortune would fill the gaping hole in his heart, but now that he was seeing clearly, he knew that nothing would ever make up for his brother's death or his empty future. Life was meaningless. There wasn't anything waiting back at home for him except a bunch of people wanting to use him for his fame.

Jude's hands shook. No matter what he did, he would always be trapped in this dark pit of despair. He couldn't help the way he felt this time. The feeling of eternal hopelessness engulfed him to the core and it scared him senseless. Nothing else mattered anymore... His handsome face, his perfect physique, his skills, his talents. It was all absolute shit at the end of the day. None of it mattered. None of it.

His heart mattered, but it was mangled and broken. Knives mattered, but she wasn't here anymore. She opened his eyes, she had helped him find himself again. And if she was gone, then he wanted to be gone too.

He had a sudden impulse and next thing he knew, he was holding up a knife to his wrist.

All he had to do was plunge this blade deep into his wrist and rip it across. Sure, it would hurt, but soon it would all be over. He felt something wet and hot roll down his cheeks and realized he was crying.

He whimpered and silently asked the universe why it had done this to him.

It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Kramer got to live after he killed Knives? It wasn't the way Jude wanted it. Sure, he knew Kramer only killed so he could get back to his brother, but he still killed her. Sudden fire lit a flame in Jude's heart and he tossed the blade aside.

He could kill himself later, first he had to kill Kramer.

* * *

Kramer walked through the arena with his long knife clutched in his hand. A cannon had rang early this morning, jolting him out of his sleep. Hopefully it wasn't Jude. He wanted to kill him by himself.

Kramer counted the remaining tributes in his head. With the tribute that died this morning, there were nine competitors left. That meant just eight more kills until he could go home. It seemed so simple, yet so daunting at the same time. The odds of him winning were roughly around twelve and a half percent, but with some of the weaker tributes being so unlikely to win, that boosted his likability to become victor. In the end, every remaining tribute had a chance if they played their cards right, but a few of them probably wouldn't be so smart and that would end up killing them.

Kramer had played this entire game very strategically and he knew it too. Of course he had taken some risks, like facing that four person alliance from Nine and Ten all by himself, but he knew he could beat them. He had observed them all in training and it was clear to see that they were all just kids, hesitant to kill. Kramer was not hesitant and that is why he beat them. He was able to kill Sully in the bloodbath because he knew the boy was too prideful to turn down a fight. He knew how to lure Jude away from the cornucopia so that he could ambush Knives when she least expected it. He was both smart and creative, a deadly combination when you're in the Hunger Games.

To the capitol, Kramer probably looked impulsive, but he knew better.

But what he was about to do was an undeniable risk and for the first time, he wasn't sure if he would come out alive.

He slipped through the rides, weaving his way through the arena. He knew that if he kept heading east, he would be back at the cornucopia in no time. He had to pass up several roller coasters and gift shops before the scenery began to look familiar again. Adrenaline spiked through his system at the memory of Knives' demise. Maybe he should have felt bad for killing her, but it was such a thrill that he almost wouldn't mind doing it again. As his eyes landed on the tall red roller coaster in front of him, he smiled.

The cornucopia clearing wasn't even twenty feet away.

Concealed by the roller coaster, Kramer craned his head until his eyes landed on the enemy. Jude was standing directly in the mouth of the cornucopia, sharpening one of his knives. He looked even more conflicted than usual, but there was also something else in his eyes. Something like... anger. He was muttering something to himself and he twirled his hooked knife in his hand. Perhaps he was sharpening his weapons for a battle.

Maybe he knew Kramer couldn't stay away after all.

Kramer closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. This was it. It would be cowardly to turn back now, he couldn't do that. The whole nation was watching. He opened his eyes slowly, but stood still for a while, as if contemplating this all in his head.

Sure, Jude was physically stronger, but he was predictable. His attack moves were all rehearsed. They had all been used before by past District Two tributes in the years before. Kramer had no training prior to the games, so his attacks were more unpredictable, more creative. That was good, it gave him an upper hand.

Kramer forced another deep, shaking breath into his lungs and thought of another scenario.

He knew Jude was angry at him. That could possibly mean a more powerful punch and him showing no mercy. If Kramer even made one mistake while they brawled, that could give Jude a window to overpower him and ultimately kill him. He had to know Jude's next move before he did. He could try to talk Jude into letting him get close enough to stab him, but Kramer somehow knew that wouldn't work. It was a shame because Kramer could be very convincing when he wanted to be.

Kramer let out a long breath and turned to the closest camera. He gave one short, curt nod before he stepped forward. That nod was for Bentley. If he died, Bentley would know he had done this for him.

As Kramer stepped into the clearing, he felt like he wasn't even in his own body. His nerves had disappeared, leaving him with an odd, content feeling that tingled throughout his whole body.

As he continued to walk forward, he made it a point to enter Jude's line of vision. Sensing someone's presence, Jude whipped his head up and his grey eye's immediately met Kramer's hazel ones. His face immediately twisted into a frown and his burning gaze penetrated through Kramer's very soul.

Kramer stopped walking forward and the two just observed each other for a moment. From a mere ten feet away, Jude looked different. Even though his eyes were narrowed with hatred, Kramer noticed how red and watery they were, almost like he had been crying. The District Two boy's breaths grew shallow and rigid with every passing moment and his nostrils flared.

Not knowing how to begin this, Kramer took a deep breath. "Hi." He drawled, an awkward smile on his lips.

Jude's lip curled in disgust. "Wh- hi? That's really all you have to say?" He growled, his gaze dangerous.

Kramer mentally face palmed. That was probably not a good way to start this. Kramer let his breath go through his mouth as he clutched the knife behind his back. "No. Actually, if I'm being quite honest, I came back to end this." He said simply. "Once and for all. A showdown."

Jude's scowl slowly disappeared from his face, but his angry glare still remained. He looked Kramer up and down, then nodded after a moment. "A showdown." He repeated. "Alright. Fine." He said in a lighter voice as he slowly took his curved knife out of his pocket. "I hope you're good at hand to hand combat."

A devious smirk crossed Kramer's lips, but it could barely be seen because Jude had already lunged.

Jude's first move was to go directly for the heart, but Kramer had already anticipated that. The scarlet haired boy ducked and Jude stabbed the air. Kramer thought quickly and pulled Jude's leg out from under him with a strong hand.

That would buy him some time.

Jude landed heavily on his back and hit the ground with a thud. Before he could get back up, Kramer was pouncing on top of him like a tiger. Jude grunted as he sent his hand flying and slashed his knife across Kramer's face, aiming for his eye. He missed though and struck him right above the eyebrow.

Kramer winced at the sharp pain and instinctively recoiled, feeling hot blood drip into his eye. He didn't expect that. Taking advantage of this, Jude quickly jerked upwards and threw Kramer off of him.

The boy went tumbling to the ground, but quickly kicked Jude in the back with his leg. Kramer wasted no time as he lurched upward and scrambled towards him. Jude ignored the sensation of impact that hit him in the spine and met Kramer half way as he twisted to the side. They slammed into each other hard and both tried to get the upper hand before the other one did. Jude stabbed, Kramer slashed, and in the madness, Kramer wound up with a deep gash on his left shoulder.

Conflicting emotions flooded Jude's whole body. He wanted to die, but he wanted Kramer to die too. He kind of wanted to win, but he didn't want to go home. He hated this boy, but he hated this game more. It was hard to keep up with his attack patterns and dodge so many bullets when his emotions were overwhelming him. Several tears rolled down Jude's cheeks as he swung and slashed at his opponent. He wish he could just make up his mind. This was becoming so hard.

Kramer yelled out in pain at one point after Jude aggressively slammed the hilt of his knife into his ribs, cracking a few of them. The red haired boy socked him hard in the jaw with his elbow, but Jude didn't fall backwards. Instead he punched Kramer back with a fist twice as powerful as his. Blood was now slopped down the right side of Kramer's face and smeared onto Jude as well. Kramer was knocked down immediately, but quickly dodged Jude's next blow. He jerked his head to the side and Jude missed. He was about to go back for a third time, but within the very second, Kramer stabbed him in the stomach.

Fire burst across Jude's lower abdomen as his eyes grew wide. He let out a pained bellow, but didn't give up. He couldn't lose the battle yet. No, no, no, not now. This boy killed Knives, he couldn't lose to him. He couldn't give up until he physically couldn't go on anymore. He stumbled backwards for a moment as he felt hot blood drip down his stomach, but then whipped his knife across Kramer's chest. Jude was aiming for a deeper gash, but he barely broke the skin on his enemy's chest. Deep red flowers bloomed across Kramer's shirt and he instantly brought a hand up to his chest in fear of what just could have happened. When he realized the wound wasn't deep or fatal, the look of fear dropped off his face and a dark snarl crossed his features.

He lunged into Jude and surprisingly, the taller boy's knees buckled and he fell onto his back. Kramer landed on top of him with a painful impact. The black haired boy tried to fight Kramer off of him, but he was weaker than before.

Something in the moment made it all click. He didn't know whether it was the blood splattered across Kramer's wounded body, the desperate, angry look in his eyes, the pain in his own mauled torso, or his own ragged breathing intertwined with Kramer's. He realized it then and there. He didn't want to win.

"Kill me." Jude choked out suddenly. "I don't want to live anymore. I want to be with her, that's all I want." Tears rolled down Jude's cheeks. He let go of his grip on Kramer's arms and lied limp beneath him. He squeezed his eyes shut and he tried to repress his whimpering cries, but they still came out. He had given up the fight.

Kramer's scowl faded away as his hazel eyes darted around Jude's face, looking for any signs that he was lying.

He found none.

The boy that Kramer saw now was not the same one he had fought with in training. It was someone in pure misery. Someone broken, someone vulnerable. Jude's tough facade had crumbled away and now he was nothing more than a ruined little boy.

The realization hit Kramer like a ton of breaks. He had killed this boy's girl. He had done it purely out of boredom too. He had dehumanized Jude so much in his mind that he forgot that he had feelings.. emotions.. He forgot that he was a real person. He had ruined this boy. He had ruined him.

It was his fault.

"I did this to you, Jude." Kramer whispered, his voice shaking. "I killed her. I did this to you."

Jude choked on a gasping breath. "No. It's m-my fault too. I f-forgive you. I don't care, I don't want to kill you anymore. You still have your brother to get back to, I never had anyone worth winning for. You deserve that title more than I ever did." He whimpered tearfully. "I just can't... I can't do this anymore. Please, just end it. I'm hurting so bad."

Kramer couldn't help but stare at him for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed. Pain coursed throughout his entire body, but he ignored it. "You're giving up just like that?" He asked, confusion clear in his voice.

Jude let out a breathless laugh. "I'm not giving up. This battle just isn't worth fighting anymore."

Kramer was still for a moment as Jude let out another pained whimper, then he nodded. "Okay." Kramer understood. Slowly, he brought his knife out from behind his back with shaking hands. "I-I'm sorry." He stuttered.

Jude nodded with pursed lips as he closed his eyes. When Kramer sent his knife plunging into his chest, it was out of mercy and nothing else.

BOOM!

* * *

For the second time that day, a cannon boomed. The sound jolted the entire arena, then quietly faded away into the distance. Down in the food court, Rory turned towards Freddie with wide eyes. "Who do you think that was?" He asked his ally.

Freddie shifted in his seat and shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. "It could be anyone." He said in a thoughtful voice as he looked out into the distance. "It might have been one of those little kids from Seven, I didn't expect them to live past the first day." He said honestly.

Rory nodded and eyed his ally carefully. At first he didn't notice it, but Freddie was very shaky. Not in a metaphorical way or whatever, but in the most literal sense possible. He actually shook and trembled like he was cold or something. He had also been sweating a lot lately, which was unusual because the weather in the arena had been consistently mild. After a moment of observing Freddie, Rory finally spoke up. Something could have been wrong.

"Um, Fred... Tell me if I'm being too nosy or anything, but, uh um, are you alright?" Rory asked, "I see that you're pretty shaky."

Freddie shifted upwards in his chair and let out a breathless laugh. "Withdrawal." He said simply, a soft friendly smile on his face that let Rory know he hadn't gotten too personal.

"Ah." Rory nodded, his eyebrows raised. "From like, uh, alcohol?"

Freddie shrugged, his eyes closed. "Alcohol, drugs, basically my whole lifestyle." He sighed. "It's nothing to worry about, really. I went through the same withdrawal thing when my mom sent me to rehab last winter. I'll be okay."

Rory looked down, not daring to ask his ally to elaborate on the whole rehab thing. He knew Freddie had addiction issues straight from the gate. Rory had figured it out the moment he saw him slam into the stage at his reaping. He could read people just that easily. He had always had a knack for looking right through the superficial and seeing who a person actually was just by a few conversations. Perhaps it was because he himself had never really cared for the whole small talk and fake friends thing. It gave him very good perspective on understanding other human beings.

"Well, sorry man." Rory said sympathetically. "I'm glad it's not too bad though."

Freddie nodded and opened his eyes. "So we're down to what, the final eight now?" He asked, changing the subject.

Rory nodded, not missing a beat. "Yep, final eight. I would suspect that the zombies will be released sometime soon now. I was thinking that we should find a steady shelter before anyone else dies though, just to be safe. We can move locations any time, I would just like to do it today."

Freddie looked up suddenly. He hadn't left the boardwalk the entire time he's been in the arena. "I, uh... Do you think we could move locations after it gets dark? I mean, I just get the feeling it would be safer that way since no one would see us." He said nervously, hoping Rory would agree.

Rory took a moment to think it through, then he nodded. "Alright." He sighed heavily. "I just hope for our sakes that the gamemakers weren't planning on releasing the mutts tonight."

* * *

It didn't take Kramer long to realize he was bleeding out. The wounds on his forehead and chest were treatable, but the deep gash on his upper arm and his broken ribs were more severe. There was so much blood that he wondered where else he had been wounded in the heat of the battle.

No matter how much pressure he put on his arm or head, the bleeding just wouldn't seem to stop.

The more he looked at Jude's dead body, the more he felt sick. He had just killed the biggest competitor in the games. He took a risk and it paid off. He had won the battle. This should feel good, but instead he felt like he himself was about to die.

The world around him began to grow blurry as he stumbled out of the cornucopia clearing. The whole amusement park was shaking and spinning, making Kramer's head ache. The only thing that reminded him he was still alive was the constant pain that throbbed across his body.

He tried to suppress a moan, but it slipped out of his mouth anyway. He knew his knees gave out on him at one point, but he couldn't seem to get back up. It was like his body was sending him a message.

He needed to rest.

He spent what felt like hours drifting in and out of consciousness. His whole body was weak and he was in pure misery. Every time he dozed off, he forced himself to wake up again in fear that if he fell asleep, he would never wake back up. At some point, he thought heard a bell dinging in the distance, but it soon faded away. He waved it off as his imagination.

The bell noise sufficed again and this time it seemed closer. This had to be real. Kramer forced his heavy eyelids open and looked around. Above him, a metal capsule was floating his way, descending from the sky. Kramer laid limp on the ground as he watch the silver blur gravitate towards him. Only one word crossed his mind.

Sponsors.

Someone out there was sponsoring him. Someone believed in him. The very thought that somebody was rooting for his victory gave Kramer enough strength to reach out and grab the parachute as it entered his arm's reach.

As he opened the canister, a small pot of shimmery gel was revealed. With weak, shaking hands, Kramer immediately dipped his fingers in the gel and rubbed it on his forehead. He didn't even read the note that came along with it, he somehow just knew what to do.

As soon as the gel made contact with his injury, a stinging sensation seared the wound and made Kramer wince in pain. Perhaps he should have read the note after all. After a moment though, the sharp pain ebbed and was replaced with a tingly, cooling feeling. The pain was slowly erased from his forehead as the gel did it's magic.

Without a second thought, Kramer pulled his shirt over his head and threw it aside. He quickly scooped out more of the sparkly goop and smeared it across his bare chest where Jude had slashed him. The same burning sensation occurred, but soon faded into a nice, cold after feeling.

After he had treated his ruined shoulder as well, Kramer carefully put the little pot of magic back in the metal parachute. A little white piece of paper caught his eye right before he closed it, so he dug it out. He unfolded it with weak hands and read it silently.

_Not everyone hates you, see?- S._

Kramer smirked weakly and nodded to no one in particular. "Thanks." He mumbled, his eyes half closed. He had no idea who S was, but whoever it was, he owed them.

Once he finally regained some strength, Kramer crawled underneath one of the nearby roller coasters, shielding himself from the view of other tributes. When he finally felt safe, he curled up into the fetal position and closed his eyes. It wasn't even noon yet and he had nearly bled to death. The thought that he was a survivor made him smile softly as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

* * *

On the east wing of the theme park, Lorelei and Haven packed up their backpacks for the final time. They had both come to a mutual agreement that they should venture into the west wing of the park before the clock hit midnight. They had only heard the growling noises in the east wing, so it seemed logical to set up camp on the other side.

Haven zipped up the first backpack and threw it by the ticket booth's door. "Do you have your spear?" He asked, glancing up at Lorelei.

Lorelei nodded as she pointed to it, sitting in the corner of their shelter.

Haven looked back down at the next backpack he was packing up. "Make sure you carry that with you when we leave. I wouldn't want us to be ambushed." He said evenly. "I've got my knife."

Haven was feeling truly nervous about venturing so far away from the familiar east wing of the park. There were only eight tributes left, that meant they were probably all feeling like they could win at this point. Haven knew that the more confident they were in themselves, the more likely they were to attack. It just made sense, the further they got in the game, the more dangerous it got. Now that all the weaker tributes were weeded out, only the strong and strategic remained.

He looked over at Lorelei momentarily, who was busy trying to shove a sleeping bag back into it's pack. He was absolutely _terrified_ of the thought of losing her. She was the only one left of their once four person alliance. He couldn't lose her, she was all he had. He didn't know if he had grown feelings for her, but someone who basically healed your broken arm and stuck this whole thing out with was impossible not to care for. The unpredictability and danger of this whole Hunger Games experience brought Haven so much closer to Lorelei. She was the most loyal person he had ever met and he was lucky to have been reaped beside her and not some other girl.

Haven't broken arm still ached, but it felt a lot better than before.

As Haven packed the last backpack he looked back over at Lorelei, who was leaning by the doorframe, waiting for him to finish.

"Ready?" Lorelei asked with raised eyebrows.

Haven let out a heavy sigh and nodded his head. "Ready." He smiled.

* * *

Aspen sat on the edge of the ferris wheel's entrance, head buried between his knees. Petunia was dead. That was his only thought from the very minute he woke up this morning. The memory of her demise consumed his entire body with grief. He might have been able to save her if he had just made it a point to check behind them every now and then. He could have pushed her out of the way and they could have escaped. He could have even fought her attacker.

But instead, he just ran.

Aspen wiped his nose on his shirt and blinked the tears out of his eyes. He couldn't stick the rest of this out alone. How could he? He had no weapons and had abandoned all his supplies back at the carousel when Velvet had attacked. He was small and weak, his only hope was that he could climb and he was quick.

He didn't know how to handle this feeling of grief. He never had to deal with anything like this before. He had never experienced a loved one's death, he never had to go hungry, he was so sheltered all his life. He just wished he had an ally to help him out. He wished there was someone in this arena that didn't want to kill him.

In his head, Aspen ran through all of the remaining tributes until he stopped on one.

Kramer.

Aspen hadn't run into the District One boy since the bloodbath, but he still remembered what he had done for him. He had killed Raegan from Four before he could stab them. When Aspen and Petunia began to follow him, Kramer could have killed them right then and there, but instead, he spared them. Aspen knew that Kramer had deliberately saved their lives. Why? That was a mystery, but the bottom line was that he had saved them.

Aspen couldn't help but wonder if he wondered if he was okay. If he remembered correctly, Kramer hadn't died yet. He was still alive.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. Why couldn't he seek out Kramer? Vicious killer or not, the boy had saved his life once and he might be up to do it again. Several doubts crossed Aspen, but he decided that he didn't have that much to lose anyway. He was going to look for him. This was his last hope at survival.

Aspen scooted off the edge of the carousel and rose to his feet. Without a second thought, he began searching the park for that very single boy. First, he looked under the surrounding rides, but found nothing. He looked inside of gift shops and food courts, but again, he found nothing.

Nearly two hours later, Aspen was about to give up and go back to the ferris wheel, feeling defeated. He let out a disappointed sigh as he turned a corner, but surprisingly, when he looked up, he found exactly what he was looking for.

With a gasp, Aspen froze in his tracks. About twenty feet in front of him, the boy with deep scarlet hair was trudging down the walkway, in his direction. Kramer was looking down, wiping the blood off of his knife with the bottom of his shirt, completely unaware that he was approaching Aspen.

Kramer looked like a nightmare. His shirt was torn and splotched with big red stains. He had a gnarly gash above his right eyebrow, caked with dried blood. That same side of his face was coated with drying blood that had been clearly wiped out of his eyes. He reminded Aspen of something out of a horror movie.

Aspen was about to turn around and ditch his plan, when Kramer suddenly looked up. As they made eye contact, his heart rate accelerated like crazy. Kramer raised his good eyebrow casually and continued walking towards him. Aspen began to shake in his boots as he saw him clutch his long knife tighter.

As he finally got within arm's length, Kramer stopped walking. "You okay, kid?" He asked with surprisingly genuine concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Aspen tried to speak, but his lips trembled. Kramer tucked his knife into his pocket and eyed Aspen carefully. "Where's your ally?" He asked as he wiped his sweaty hands off on his pants.

"D-dead." Aspen stuttered, tears immediately forming in his eyes. "S-she was killed last night."

Surprisingly, Kramer didn't seem like he was planning on killing him. He even reached out and put a large hand on Aspen's shaky shoulders. "Man, I'm sorry. I really am." Kramer sighed with real sympathy.

Aspen nodded his head and looked down. This was his opportunity. If he didn't speak now, he would forever regret it. He swallowed his fear and looked back up. "Look, I... I've actually been looking for you." Aspen said, trying to keep an even voice.

Kramer raised his eyebrows, surprised, as he let his hand slip off of Aspen's shoulder. "Huh, is that so?" He laughed, taken off guard. Aspen saw Kramer wince in pain as his arm made contact with his side.

Aspen shrugged. "C-can... Well, can we be allies?" He asked daringly.

Kramer stepped backwards and put his hands behind his back. "Look, I..." He began, but when he met Aspen's desperate gaze, his eyes softened. His expression slowly changed into one of deep thought and after a minute, he surprisingly nodded. "Okay." He said softly. "Deal."

* * *

**R.I.P. Cain and Jude**

**Cain was so naive and nobody really expected him to make it to the final 10. Almost all of you thought he would be a bloodbath, but he proved everyone wrong and even beat out a few careers. His death was truly horrific and so intense, but i wouldn't expect anything less bloody from Lithium. Cain's death was my favorite one to write out of this whole story and it will be hard to forget.**

**Alright, Jude was definitely one of my favorites this year. He was also a fan favorite with you guys as well, which made me really happy. I hated, HATED, writing his death scene, it almost made me cry. He and Kramer had it out for each other straight from the gate and they finally had their showdown. It was a glorious battle, but when it came down to it, Jude just couldn't outdo Kramer, even though he was stronger. He was such a great character and underwent a such a big transformation. Damn son i'm gonna miss him. At least him and Knives are together now. That's all he wanted in the end.**

**A/N: this was possibly the most eventful chapter so far. i hope none of you expected any of this. yeah that's all i can say. i can't wait to hear what you guys thought about this. **

**(and sorry for such a late update ahhhhhhhh i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry!)**


	32. Maniacal Laughter

As Lorelei and Haven, the two District Ten tributes, ventured into the west wing of the amusement park, Haven had a strange feeling that they were being watched. Every few minutes, he looked behind himself discretely, but he never saw anyone. He tried to brush the feeling off, but the nagging suspicion just wouldn't leave him alone. He didn't tell Lorelei about it, but he still kept it in the back of his mind.

While they were walking, Lorelei noticed that even though it was still daylight, the mutation's growls were drifting along the wind audibly. They usually only came out at night, but she figured that the closer they were to being released, the louder they got.

"Do you think we should set up camp in a gift shop or something?" Haven asked suddenly, bringing Lorelei out of her thoughts.

She shook her head slowly. "No." Her voice was calm, but she was serious.

"Alright." He said lightly. "What do you suggest?"

"High ground." Lorelei said as she narrowed her eyes in on the horizon. "We need an eagle's eye view of this arena."

"Okay, that sounds good too." Haven said thoughtfully. "Maybe we-" he began to say.

"Haven." Lorelei hissed suddenly as she stopped walking abruptly and pulled Haven's arm backwards protectively.

Haven looked at his ally with wide eyes. "Wh-what is it?" He asked attentively.

Lorelei turned her head slowly, facing her ally with serious eyes. "Don't make any sudden movements." She commanded in a hushed voice. "We're being watched."

Her words sent a chill through his spine, confirming his earlier fear. "How do you know?" Haven whispered back, fearfully.

Lorelei slowly nodded directly in front of her. "Be very subtle. Do not make eye contact." She hissed at Haven as he followed her gaze.

That was when he saw her, lurking in the shadows.

In the crook of one of the rides stood the girl from District Three, staring directly at the two District Ten tributes, a wicked grin in her face. Haven briefly remembered this girl from training and during the interviews. She had seemed so harmless, so angelic back in the capitol, but looking at her now, she was the most sinister thing Haven had ever seen. Her arms were covered in dark red blood, and in her hands, she clutched a long, serrated and crooked knife. Blood dripped from her lips, trickling down her neck and staining her shirt, almost like... almost like she had eaten one of her victims.

Haven's heart rate accelerated as he accidentally met her blood curdling gaze.

As soon Haven made eye contact with her, she lunged out of the shadows, running straight for them. A maniacal laugh broke out of her bloody mouth as she held her long knife over her head. Haven stood there, stunned, for a moment before Lorelei shoved him out of the way and he came to his senses.

"Get your knife out!" Lorelei yelled at him as she yanked hers out of her pocket. "We aren't running this time."

Haven quickly fumbled his knife out of his back pocket as Lithium quickly approached. By the time he got a grip of his weapon, Lorelei had already dodged Lithium's first swing.

Without thinking, Haven went running to Lorelei's defense. "Hey!" He yelled as went flying into the middle of the battle. "We don't have to fight each other! Stop it!" He tried to reason with Lithium as he pushed her backwards.

Lithium didn't listen to him and came lunging back, full force. With a wild laugh, she stabbed forward and cut Lorelei's shoulder, slicing the fabric of her shirt. Haven saw a crazy, bloodthirsty look in Lithium's eyes right then and there that instantly made him realize that there was no reasoning with her. She was absolutely insane.

"Get off of her!" Haven yelled as he shoved Lithium backwards again, more forcefully.

Lithium stumbled over her own feet, but quickly steadied herself and turned her wild gaze to Haven. "Ooooh, you want to play too?" She giggled. "Oh goodie, the more the merrier!" She cried out, grinning like a maniac.

With that, she lunged for Haven. Her knife easily found his flesh as she whipped it across his face, drawing blood immediately. Sharp pain seared across Haven's cheek and nose as he wiped the fresh blood off onto his hand.

Feeling a surge of anger, Haven swung his rock hard cast into Lithium's neck with newfound strength. Lithium spluttered, but didn't seem to react to the impact in any other way. From behind, Lorelei tried to knife Lithium in the back, but Lithium sensed someone's presence behind her and slashed backwards with her knife, knocking Lorelei out of the way.

"Now back to you, my dear." Lithium smiled as she faced Haven again, ignoring an injured Lorelei that had fallen behind her.

Haven's eyes grew wide and his nostrils flared as he stumbled backwards. Lithium was in front of him in an instant and shoved him down onto the ground. She kicked him repeatedly until he was damaged enough to not run away. Haven moaned in pain as he clutched his beaten stomach.

"Hmm..." Lithium said thoughtfully as she tapped her fingers against her cheek, looking down at her victim. "How about some throwing practice?" She said cheerfully as she stepped backwards.

Both pain and fear darkened the edges of Haven's vision as he saw Lithium take aim about ten feet in front of him. He crawled backwards on the back of his elbows, trying to distance himself, as he saw her jerk her arm backwards. As she let the knife fly, coming directly for him, something shocking happened.

Suddenly, Lorelei entered Haven's line of vision. With a leaping lunge, she flew in front of him and the scream that broke out of his lips proved the worst. The blade entered her stomach and she crumpled to her knees.

Haven's eyes grew wildly wide as he looked from Lorelei to Lithium, not sure whether to crawl to his ally's rescue or to continue trying to fight Lithium. He finally settled on Lithium as she let out an elated laugh. "I love surprises!" She clapped. "Nice one, Ten!"

With a furious battle cry, Haven threw his bloody knife, aiming for Lithium. His aim wound up being off and he only hit her in the upper arm area where shoulder met collar, but the blade still lodged itself into her body painfully. With a screech, Lithium's smile dropped off her face and her eyes flew down to her wounded chest. She yanked the knife out of her upper arm immediately and stumbled backwards as pain and adrenaline flooded her body. She had never been injured before and she didn't know if this was fatal or not. Deep red flowers bloomed across the chest and sleeve of her t-shirt as her blue eyes grew wide. It was getting really bloody, really quick.

"Get out of here!" Haven roared in anger as he rose to his knees. "Get out!"

Realizing that this was a battle she could no longer win, Lithium turned on her heel and ran, leaving droplets of blood behind her. Lithium disappeared into the maze of rides, clutching her wounded collar.

As Haven watched her disappear, the aching pain in his stomach came creeping back and his eyes fell on Lorelei, who was shaking on the ground, stomach frighteningly bloody.

Haven was kneeling over her in an instant, trying to figure out what to do.

"H-Haven." Lorelei struggled to speak. "G-get it o-o-out." She stuttered weakly.

Haven followed her gaze to her stomach and reached his shaking hand out to the knife. He gripped onto the hilt if it and looked back at Lorelei cautiously, who was looking at him.

"D-do it." She nodded, fear sparking in the depths of her blue eyes.

Haven took a deep breath and closed his eyes. With a yank, he suddenly pulled the knife out of Lorelei's damaged stomach. Over half of the long, crooked blade was covered in blood, making Haven realize that this wound was not only deep, but it was fatal. There was no way he could patch this up. Lorelei convulsed on the ground, eyes squeezed shut. She refused to scream, but sounds of anguish broke out of her throat every now and then, making Haven wince.

Lorelei tried to curl up into the fetal position, but Haven immediately stopped her. "Don't do that, I need to clean the wound." He said as he laid her back down on her back. Lorelei gasped for air and whimpered painfully. She was in misery and there was nothing Haven could really do but try and clean the wound. He had to do anything he could to keep her alive. He needed her, she was all he had.

"Lorelei, Lorelei it's okay." He soothed as he pulled one of their backpacks close to him and unzipped it. He took out their two last water bottles and set them side by side next to Lorelei. He also fished out a dry wash cloth and some bandages. "Please stay with me. I know it hurts, please stay with me." He tried to keep his voice from shaking.

Haven lifted Lorelei's t-shirt up to her ribs and took a sharp intake of breath as he laid eyes on her wound. Her entire stomach was coated in slippery red blood. The gash was right in the center, covered in deep maroon blood that kept on coming up with every passing moment. She was losing a lot of blood and she was losing it fast.

Haven poured the first water bottle over her stomach, washing away most of the messy blood that concealed the wound, and Lorelei squirmed underneath him. The deluded red water puddled onto the ground beside them as Haven took out the second bottle.

He dumped the last of their water supply over Lorelei's torso as it cleaned off her stomach, making her skin visible again and revealing the real gash. It was deep, horrific, and gory. He could easily see a peek of her intestines from how open it was and he could see that blood was beginning to flood her organs from the inside. Haven grabbed the cloth next to him.

He dabbed the edges gently with the wet cloth, but it was the center of wound that sent a shiver down his spine. Every time he thought he was done cleaning it, the gash just welled up with more dark blood. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

She was going to bleed to death.

"L-Lorelei..." Haven shook violently. He was going to lose her. He was going to lose his only friend. "Lorelei, it's okay. It's going to be okay." He lied as he scooted closer to her. Tears built up in his eyes and eventually spilled over, but Haven tried to stay strong.

"Haven, I'm dying. I-I know." Lorelei said weakly and she breathed in slowly. "I can already f-feel myself slipping away."

And that's when Haven began to sob. "P-please stay with me. Please." Haven choked out through the tears as he put his good hand on Lorelei's cheek. "I can save you. Please just hang in there."

Lorelei shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry." She breathed as her eyelids grew heavy. "I can't."

Haven blinked away his tears as he cupped her head in his hand. "It's okay. It's okay." He wiped his tears away.

Slowly, he leaned down and pressed his lips into hers. They were calloused and rough, much like his hands that had slipped onto her shoulders. He kissed her gently and slowly and at one point, he felt her kiss him back, but eventually she stopped altogether.

As he slowly broke away from her and and sat up, he noticed that her eyes were closed.

"Lorelei?" Haven asked softly, resting his hand on her arm.

Her eyes didn't open. She laid deathly still.

"Lorelei?" He said louder, his eyes growing wide. When she didn't respond after a moment, he quickly began to shake her shoulders. "Lorelei!" He yelled, fearing the worst. "Lorelei, wake up!" He yelled as he shook her forcefully.

She still didn't open her eyes.

After a moment, the one thing he feared, happened.

BOOM!

The sound echoed through the arena and made his stomach drop. Time and space seemed to stop and the earth was eerily silent as Haven slowly took his hands off of her and looked down at his fallen ally. She wasn't breathing anymore.

That was her cannon.

Haven was in a dreamlike trance for a moment, too stunned to process anything at the moment. _She is dead_. He repeated it to himself a few times, but it didn't register as real. This could not be real. None of this could be real.

After a few minutes, it finally clicked. Haven rose to his feet, but almost immediately fell over again. "Oh no no no, no no oh, no no, no." A tortured moan filled the air. Haven looked around to see where it was coming from, but he soon realized it was his own voice.

Dead.

She was dead.

Her corpse laid lifelessly on the ground, just like it had been for the past few minutes when Haven looked back at it again. His lips trembled as one phrase kept repeating itself in his head.

Dead.

She was dead.

* * *

By the time the cannon rang, Kramer and Aspen had decided to set up camp in a big arcade on the east wing of the park where Rory had previously resided. Earlier that day, Kramer had shown Aspen the main attractions of the park since he had taken the time to explore the whole thing himself before they were allies. He showed him the nearby food court, where they went for breakfast that morning, and Aspen told him how he and Petunia rode the ferris wheel.

They were a very unlikely pair, but they got along well. Surprisingly, Kramer had always had a knack for kids. He had always been protective of children and that was the reason why he wouldn't kill anyone who was younger than him in the arena. Aspen reminded him so much of his little brother, Bentley, that he couldn't bring himself to refuse his offer of an alliance when he asked. The two little boys had the same green eyes, but Bentley's hair was a light, flaxen blonde color and Aspen's was a little more strawberry blonde and curly. He saw so much of Bentley in him, it almost made Kramer's heart hurt.

As Kramer tuned back into reality, Aspen's voice floated across the arcade as he continued talking. "...and that's when we heard a noise. It was like a rustling sound, but I didn't think anything of it. Then, next thing I knew, your district partner, Velvet, was holding Petunia hostage. It all happened pretty quick, but I still regret not doing something."

Kramer looked up at the sound of Velvet's name. That was something Aspen hadn't mentioned before.

"She killed Petunia?" Kramer asked, raising his eyebrows.

Aspen nodded sadly, dropping his gaze to the ground.

Kramer was quiet for a moment, but then he let out a small laugh and a sly smile stretched across his face. "Well, let's just kill her then." He said deviously.

Aspen lifted his head up and looked at Kramer like he had three heads. "Kill her? She's one of the strongest tributes left!" Aspen said as if it were obvious. "You make it sound like it would be easy."

Kramer smiled even more and shook his head. "Have you forgotten who you're allied with?" He smiled sardonically.

Aspen looked at his ally blankly. Suddenly, he remembered that this boy was a killer as well. Kramer was so easy to talk to that sometimes Aspen forgot what this boy was really capable of. He remembered how Kramer didn't even hesitate when he had killed Raegan in the bloodbath. Kramer was really vicious when he was going in for the kill and Aspen didn't know how he did it. It scared him, but it also made him feel safe in a strange way.

"How many people have you killed since we've been here, Kramer?" Aspen asked suddenly.

Kramer looked down almost guiltily, like he was afraid of scaring Aspen with his response. Kramer was quiet for a moment before he finally answered. "Six." He said evenly, not daring to look up.

Aspen's eyes grew wide as he took a sharp intake of breath. That was over one third of the cannons that had boomed over the course of the last nine days. They were all people that Kramer had killed. It chilled him to the bone to think that there were so many. "That's... T-that's a lot." Aspen said quietly.

Kramer looked up, nodding. "Yeah, I know." He sighed. In his mind, whenever he thought of all the people he had killed, Jude always entered his head. That was the only person he had ever felt bad for killing. He didn't know if he regretted it, but he certainly felt bad. He knew that he was the reason Jude cracked. "Have you killed anyone?" Kramer asked, diverting the attention off himself.

Aspen nodded, looking remorseful. "Marina." He said.

Kramer nodded. "That's surprising." He said with raised eyebrows.

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident, I just wanted to escape the careers!" Aspen blurted out suddenly, eyes wide.

Kramer held up his hands. "Hey, hey, I wasn't implying that you wanted to." He said in his own defense. "But it was either you or her, right? You did what you had to do."

Aspen calmed down and nodded. "Yeah, I just feel a little guilty, y-" Aspen began, but was cut off by a sudden guttural moan.

Aspen jumped a little bit as he abruptly stopped talking. Both boys looked at each other in surprise for a moment before Aspen rose to his feet.

"I-I'll go check it out." Aspen said shakily, looking at his ally nervously

"You sure you want to? I mean, I c-" Kramer began.

"No, no, no, I can do it." Aspen interrupted him with a nervous laugh. Of course he wanted to let Kramer check it out instead, but he was trying to be braver. Ever since Petunia died, Aspen had been beating himself up about being such a coward. He wanted to be a hero this time.

Aspen stepped outside the arcade and disappeared out of view. After a moment, he returned back to the arcade, his green eyes wide in fear. He walked back towards Kramer, but didn't speak for nearly a minute. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"K-Kramer? I think something is happening." Aspen said shakily. "I d-don't know what it is, but we h-have to leave right now."

"What is it?" Kramer asked as he sat up, his hazel eyes alert.

"D-do you hear that?" Aspen asked, shaking. He was referring to those strange moans slipping through the arena. "It's even louder outside."

Kramer listened in for a minute as Aspen stayed quiet. After a moment, he did hear it. That groan they heard a minute ago wasn't a coincidence, it was a warning. In Kramer's mind, there was only one option.

"Mutts." Kramer said evenly as he rose to his feet.

Aspen's eyes got even wider. "M-mutts? How do you know?" He asked, afraid.

Kramer looked back at Aspen for a second before he grabbed a broom from next to the maintenance closet. "What else could that sound be? A tribute? I don't think so. We need to prepare ourselves because I'm not taking any chances." Kramer said flatly as he walked back over to the door and shoved the broom's handle through the door handles, blocking off the entrance.

Aspen took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Okay. Okay, but how exactly are we going to take on mutts? They're _mutts_ for god's sake!" Aspen said, raising his voice in fear.

"We're gonna barricade this place." Kramer said evenly as he shoved another metal rod through the door's handles.

"But won't the gamemakers want us to be out killing other tributes?" Aspen asked.

"We don't really have a choice, Aspen. What else are we supposed to do?" Kramer asked right back, searching his ally's eyes for a better option. "I don't mess with mutts."

Aspen was about to say something back, but he soon realized that Kramer was right. Barricading their shelter was their best bet at surviving the night. Whatever those mutts were, Aspen didn't want to die by their hands. He trusted Kramer enough to follow his lead.

He just hoped the other tributes were prepared as well.

* * *

As Velvet loitered deep in the west wing of the park, she twirled her hair in her fingers. She had heard screaming and the exchange of several voices nearby, but she decided not to intervene. Instead, she walked further away, putting more distance between herself and those tributes. She just didn't feel like killing anyone today.

Before long, a cannon boomed and a boy's scream filled the arena. Velvet rolled her eyes at the dramatics and she settled down in an ice cream shop next to the stone wall. She sighed as she tapped her long, lavender colored nails against her cheek, eyes focused on nothing.

The longer she had been alone, the more she missed home. Back in District One, there had been people surrounding her all the time. She was so popular and so fun loving, people always flocked to her. Being in the arena where people actually wanted you dead was a real wake up call.

She should have expected it coming into this, but she had anticipated that still be with the careers right now. Seeing Knives' face in the sky last night had been sort of satisfying, but it just wasn't as fun anymore. She didn't get as much of a thrill when she killed that little asian girl afterwards either. More than anything, she just wanted to go home. She wanted to see Poppy again. She wanted to go back to flirting with Jasper and Cronus and then playing hard to get when they flirted back. She wanted to hug her daddy again and have him tell her how special she was.

Before long, Velvet realized that tears were rolling down her cheeks. As she wiped them away, they just kept reappearing. Nostalgia filled her heart and her whole body ached desperately for home. She wanted to take a bubble bath, then curl up in her king sized bed and be able to fall asleep peacefully. She wanted to go shopping at luxurious boutiques with her girlfriends and drink fruity smoothies and gossip about kids from school. She missed little things like these that she had really taken for granted before.

It was so hard to reminisce on her past life, but she couldn't seem to stop. Velvet almost wished she didn't volunteer for the games, but it made her feel guilty. This had been her dream ever since she was a little girl. This was what she wanted... Wasn't it? It wasn't what she had expected, but she still had to stick it out.

She was so close to home. She had to keep going.

She was so close to everything she had ever wanted.

* * *

As the sun set on the arena, Haven was still sitting next to Lorelei's dead body, staring at the ground blankly. He had finished screaming for her a while ago and hadn't opened his mouth ever since. Thoughts left his mind as much as they entered it. Haven registered the cool breeze that drifted past him ever so often, but the only thing he thought about was how it cooled the red slit on his cheek as it made contact with the wet blood. It felt nice, and for a moment, he didn't think about his pain.

Eventually, Lorelei crossed his mind. The image of her pretty face got stuck in his mind, refusing to slip away like his other thoughts had. He didn't fight it this time, but found himself thinking of her deeply instead.

It had finally happened. That's all he registered.

He knew that one of them was going to die eventually, but he just hadn't expected it to happen so soon. If he had it his way, he would have given her an easy, peaceful death. He knew she had died painfully, but at least her last moments were spent with her lips intertwined with his. He laughed bitterly to himself at the memory. He had given her the kiss of death. How ironic.

He tried not to think of Lithium, but she crept her way into his mind anyways. Haven noticed the fire that began to spark inside of him and he let himself feel it freely. As he thought more and more about Lithium's once angelic and beautiful face combined with the blood that now dripped down her lips and the demonic glare in her icy blue eyes, he felt the small spark ignite into full blown fire flowing through his veins.

He felt hatred. He felt disgust. But mostly, he felt the need for this devil's blood on his hands. His fingers ached to clasp around her sweet little throat and to squeeze every last ounce of precious life out of her.

He wanted to send her straight back to hell where she came from.

Before he could process what he was doing, Haven had risen to his feet and picked up the long, crooked knife that sat next to Lorelei's dead body. He looked down slowly and focused on his weapon. The knife was still coated in blood. Her blood. Haven's eyes drifted down to Lorelei as he looked at her for what would probably be the last time.

She looked so peaceful and still with her eyes closed like that. Haven would have pretended she was sleeping if it weren't for the blood smeared all over her and puddling around her corpse. It was another thing Lithium had ruined.

He was going to do this for her. He was going to kill Lithium Lumiere if it was the last thing he did.

"This is for you, Lorelei." He said softly as he stepped over her and ventured off in the same direction Lithium had run off in.

It didn't take long for Haven to catch on. The blood from Lithium's wound had left a thin trail of red droplets, leading him to her easily. As he followed the blood stains, the fire inside of him burst into an inferno. Adrenaline pumped through his system as he slipped through the rides, making his way closer to the enemy. He was actually going to do this. He was really going to kill her.

"Lithiiiiuuum." He drawled in a singsong voice. "Come out come out wherever you are!"

He got no response, but he kept calling out her name a few more times just for the fun of it. He wasn't afraid of her and he was going to show her just how unafraid he was.

He felt a strange sensation in his chest as he suddenly laid eyes on her, sitting on a bench next to the train tracks. Her back was facing him, but he knew it was her immediately. No one else's hair was that long and blonde and no one else would be deranged enough to be talking to themselves while they tried to scrub the blood off their shirt.

Haven steadied himself about ten feet in front of her before he snickered quietly. "Found you." He said playfully as Lithium whipped her head around.

As her blue eyes met his, she frowned. "I'm not in the mood to play anymore. I'm wounded. Look!" She pointed to her damaged collar that was soaked in blood.

Haven raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Oh, I know. I did that to you, remember?" He said casually. "And I don't care if you want to play or not, because I do." He said as he revealed his knife from behind his back.

Lithium snorted as she looked at the fourteen year old standing in front of her. "Fine then." She said lightly with a small shrug. "Let's play."

And with that, Haven lunged for her. Everything slipped into watery motion as he charged forward with his knife and re-stabbed her right in the collar. Lithium roared like a demon as pain burst though her shoulder. She wasted no time in leaping onto Haven and going right for his throat. She may have been weaponless, but she still had her hands.

As her fingers brushed his neck, he bucked her off and she stumbled onto the ground. With a growl, she got back up and went back at it again.

This time, she was stronger and bodyslammed Haven with her good side and sent the two of them crashing onto the ground A train tooted it's horn in the distance as Lithium banged Haven's head against the concrete pavement repeatedly. Her eyes grew wild and bloodthirsty once again. He wanted to play? Oh she was going to play with him alright.

Suddenly, Haven punched her in the throat and she let go of his head immediately. Recoiling in pain, Lithium gagged and held her throat with one of her hands, slipping out of focus for a moment.

But a moment was all he needed.

As he saw the train quickly approaching, he scrambled to his feet and lunged for his opponent. Haven shoved Lithium in the direction of the railroad with surprising force. She landed on the metal tracks, which ripped through her white t-shirt and split open her skin.

It all happened so fast after that, Haven couldn't even comprehend it. He leapt out of the way quickly as the train came and he landed on the concrete safely. The same couldn't be said for Lithium though. The last thing Haven saw of her was her eyes fly open in fear as she realized the train was coming right for her.. She tried to get on her feet, but it was too late Then, the train blocked his view as it sped by, tooting it's horn.

The noise of the train speeding down the tracks was loud and deafening. Haven squeezed his eyes shut and laid still as it passed. If a cannon had boomed while the train had passed by, he wouldn't know. It was all too loud to hear anything. Eventually he realized that the train had passed and he peeled his eyes open again.

What he saw in front of him made his eyes grow wide and his mouth drop open.

On the train tracks were dismembered limbs, spilled intestines, and splattered blood. Lithium had been gored by the train.

It was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen.

Haven could not take his eyes of of the murder scene for a long time, but eventually he looked away and couldn't bring himself to look back again. He closed his mouth slowly and took a deep breath as he turned his back on the railroad, but his eyes remained wide as he walked away.

He had finally killed the beast.

* * *

BOOM!

The sound of another cannon nearly made Freddie jump out of his pants.

Freddie began to shake, but Rory was there in an instant, putting a protective hand on his ally's shoulder. "Hey, you okay, bud?" He asked gently.

Freddie nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm good. Just taken off guard." He said shakily as he shrugged off Rory's hand.

Rory nodded, accepting his response. "It's alright. I was too, don't worry." He laughed nervously. "Hey, do you want to get going soon?" He asked.

Freddie's eyes grew wide with fear and he shook his head immediately. "Um... Um can we wait until after the anthem?" He asked, trying to stall their departure from the boardwalk as much as possible. "I want to see who died today."

Rory shrugged. "Alright." He said lightly. "It's getting dark anyways, it should happen any time now." He said nonchalantly.

Twenty minutes passed before the sun completely went down and night fell. The lights on the roller coasters and the signs on the boardwalk lit up, casting a bright glow over the whole park. Even though it was nighttime, the illumination of the park gave them enough light to see what was around them.

It seemed like forever until the anthem finally began. As the musical tunes danced through the arena, Rory and Freddie sat down, side by side, ready to see who died.

The first face in the sky was a shock. As Jude's face shimmered into view, Rory couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. Jude was perhaps the biggest threat out of anyone in the arena, so whoever took him down had to been just as strong. In his photo, he was glaring into the camera with his jaw set, but even angry, he was still as handsome as ever.

As his face disappeared, it was replaced with the blonde boy with glasses from District Three. Rory hadn't expected him to even make it past the bloodbath, so to see that he had made it so far was applaudable. When his face disappeared, it was replaced by his district partner, Lithium.

This brought a small smile to Rory's lips.

He was hoping Lithium wouldn't make it to the finale. Ever since he saw her true colors in the bloodbath, he had know this girl wasn't who she said she was. Ditching their alliance might have been the best thing he had ever done. In her photo, Lithium was smiling innocently, her blue eyes round and doe like. Long blonde curls framed her face softly, making her look angelic. Rory knew better though, this girl was a monster and her death was a relief.

The next face in the sky was the small asian girl from Seven. Her name was based off of a flower if Rory remembered correctly. Tulip? Rose? Daffodil? Ugh, Rory should have known this. He was a florist, for christ's sake.

As her face faded away, it was replaced by the blonde girl from Ten. Rory remembered her from training very well. She was in that big four person alliance, and was possibly the strongest one out of them. She had seemed like a good person, so Rory couldn't help but feel bad for her death.

As Lorelei's face shimmered out of view, the anthem faded away as well, meaning that there were no more deaths.

A sudden thought passed through Rory's mind and turned towards Freddie with wide eyes. "Freddie." He whispered, a hint of realization in his voice. "There are only six of us left."

Freddie looked back at him with equally wide eyes. "Holy shit, you're right." He breathed.

The boys broke eye contact eventually and stared into the night sky, thinking over their journeys so far. They had both come so far and were so close to home, it was impossible not to think about it now. If they just stuck it out a little while longer, one of them might actually be able to win.

They stayed like that for a while, until a sudden loud growl brought them out of their thoughts.

Rory immediately rose to his feet. "Freddie, it's time to go." He said with a certain finality in his voice that made Freddie realize that they could stall anymore.

Freddie took a deep breath and sighed as he stood up, trying to calm himself. He nodded as Rory handed him a knife. He wanted to speak, but no words came to mind. All he could think about was how afraid he was to leave the boardwalk.

Suddenly, Rory wrapped him in a hug. Freddie went stiff for a moment, but soon he melted into it as well. "We're gonna be okay." Rory said as he patted him on the back. They broke apart after a moment and Rory sighed.

"Look, whatever happens from here on out, just remember that I've got your back. If you're backed into a corner, you fight back, alright? Don't accept fate until you physically can't resist it anymore. I know you've got it in you. Be brave, okay? One of us needs to win." Rory said seriously as he looked at his ally with intense dark blue eyes.

Freddie nodded. "I-I will." He said. "You be brave too, okay?"

Rory smiled softly as he patted him on the shoulder again. "Let's go." He said evenly.

And with that, the two boys walked away from the boardwalk and ventured out into the unfamiliar amusement park. There was an eery silence surrounding them that instinctively made the two walk closer together. Every now and then an unnatural moan filled the air, but it soon faded away. Freddie looked around himself cautiously for attackers, but none were found. It was almost like they were safe... Too safe.

Suddenly, a ticking noise filled the arena for a brief moment and then a loud sound similar to a grandfather clock rang three times.

_BONG. BONG. BONG._

Freddie immediately stopped walking and looked at Rory quizzically. "What... What was that?" He mouthed to his ally.

Rory shook his head. "I have no idea." He mouthed back.

From behind them, a breaking noise sufficed and the two boys whipped their head around quickly. What they saw made their hearts jump in their throats.

The wall was crumbling down before their very eyes, and almost immediately, the zombies crawled out through the rubble. Rory's eyes grew wide in horror as he realized that his prediction was actually right. These zombies had leathery grey and green skin with oozing cuts and black orbs for eyes. As they laid eyes on Rory and Freddie, they began to growl and hiss as they stumbled towards them.

Everything seemed to hit Rory at once. The ache in his heart when Marie said she didn't want to date him, the sweet smell of flowers in their little shop back at home, his dog's bright brown eyes when he saw Rory coming home after a long day at work. He guessed that's what people meant they said their life flashed in front of their eyes. This was it. He might really die this time.

"Run!" Freddie screamed in horror, his voice cracking.

This was what brought Rory back to his senses and without even thinking, he began to run like he had never run before.

* * *

**R.I.P. Lorelei and Lithium**

**Lorelei was a great ally for Haven. She was strong, stubborn, and very tenacious. Every dialogue I wrote for her made her grow as a character, even if her growth was very slow paced. That's the way I wanted it though. One thing i just admit is that I never had her winning, so here she is. Her death scene was actually upsetting to write because it was so emotional and intense :(**

**Lithium... Well, well, well, what can i say? She was possibly one of the best characters I've ever created. This girl came from the darkest depths of my mind and made the story so much crazier. Lithium was the same person from beginning to end- a sociopathic serial killer. I loved dragging her character out and having everyone wonder who this girl actually was. And I don't know if you caught the hint in her and Haven's little stare off, but she did eat Cain's guts after she killed him. She was a cannibal for christ's sake! Did that surprise you too? Hehe she was full of little surprises like that. She really scared some of you and i loved it. She was definitely the villain this year even if some of the other tributes had no idea. Oh god, some of you guys absolutely HATED her and it was fantastic. Any fictional character that can trigger such hatred in an audience is a damn good character, you've got to admit. Anyways, I always looked forward to writing for her and I will miss her VERY much. Try not to have nightmares tonight, guys!**

**A/N: aaaaand cliffhanger! so much has happened in the arena since the bloodbath, it's so weird to look back at it all. we've gone from 24 to six, can you believe it? and btw, you guys better give this chapter a long glorious review because i stayed up til 4 a.m. writing it! i have questions for you guys!**

**1\. do you think rory and freddie will escape the zombies?**

**2\. Who's death has hit you the hardest so far?**

**3\. Who do you wish was still alive? Who do you wish was dead?**

**4\. who are your predictions for the final three? victor?**

**5\. and as always, overall thought on the chapter and anything else you would like to see happen.**


	33. Burn It All

It was only a mere five minutes after midnight and Freddie and Rory were already running for their lives. Rory's heart pounded violently against his chest as heavy waves of adrenaline coursed through his body rapidly, spiking his heart rate up to an unnaturally high level. His legs were moving so quickly that he felt like he wasn't even controlling them anymore. He had never ran so fast or pushed his body so hard in his life.

At first, he was afraid that Freddie would lag behind because of the amount of withdrawal he was experiencing, but surprisingly, it was Rory that had trouble keeping up with _him_.

Freddie's long legs moved unbelievably fast as he looked over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure that Rory was still behind him, still alive. There was a strange kind of desperation in his brown eyes that made Rory force himself to keep up. His unathletic legs burned like they were being eaten alive by acid, but he couldn't slow down. No way could he die now. He couldn't leave Freddie to fend for himself like this.

One look behind his shoulder and Rory realized that zombies weren't the slow, lethargic creatures books made them out to be. These things were fast as hell and didn't look like they were going to slow down anytime soon. There were nearly twenty of these things that easily outnumbered Rory and Freddie. The zombies' sickly green hands reached out rapidly and viciously as they chased the two boys, but their eyes were what scared Rory the most. Their beady, black orbs were completely deranged... bloodthirsty to be exact.

The zombies were gaining on them, slowly but surely. What began as thirty feet of space between the boys and the mutts had shrunk down to about twenty feet. That could only mean one thing.

The terrible realization crept up on Rory frigidly as he panted like a dog, struggling for breath.

They wouldn't be able to outrun these things forever. Even if they did keep up this quick pace, the zombies would begin to close in anyways. They had already eaten up ten feet of distance between them in like five minutes.

At this rate, it wouldn't be much longer now until they ate them up too.

"Freddie!" Rory yelled to his friend, wasting no time to think anymore about his new plan of action.

"What." Freddie replied roughly as he glanced back over his shoulder for a second.

"We gotta change course right now." Rory called out breathlessly. "Th-they're catching up. We gotta make a new plan. We gotta get to higher ground."

Rory didn't even wait for a response as his eyes darted around the approaching landscape, desperately searching for a climbable structure. The ticket booths were neither tall or sturdy enough for the two boys to climb and a lot of the beams on the metal rides weren't reachable from what Rory could see.

Suddenly, his eyes landed on a large wooden roller coaster next to the approaching arcade. Rory's eyes lit up. The wooden beams instantly caught his attention as they looked both climbable and sturdy. They could hoist themselves up the sides of the ride like it was a ladder, then make their way to safety if they were quick enough. It was risky, but they didn't have any other choice. They were going to have to climb it. Rory knew that zombies were terrible climbers and they wouldn't be able to catch them if they were out of reach.

"Freddie, ahead of you." Rory called out, pointing a finger in the direction of the wooden roller coaster. "Climb it when we get there."

Freddie's eyes followed Rory's outstretched hand and nodded. "Gotcha." He replied gruffly.

When the two tributes approached the wooden support beams of the roller coaster, they wasted no time. "You first." Rory breathed as he shoved Freddie in front of him and helped him onto the first foot hole.

As Freddie began to climb up the edge of the ride, Rory looked back at their pursuers for a second, adrenaline pumping through his body. "Come on, come on." He rushed Freddie as he gripped onto the wooden rails himself. As soon as there was enough room for Rory, he leapt onto the ladder like beams and started to climb like a squirrel.

When Freddie finally reached the top and flung himself onto the tracks, relief flooded Rory's body. His ally was safe. Now all he had to do was get himself up there too. For a split second, he had this great feeling because he knew that within in a minute, they would both be on top of the ride, safe and out of reach. Rory latched his hand onto the next rail, eager to join his ally at the top, when he felt something clasp his foot from below.

A scream burst out of his throat before he even knew what was happening.

"Rory!" Freddie called in panic from the top of the ride. Rory ignored him, already violently jerking his foot from side to side, trying to free it of the zombie's grip.

Rory's eyes grew wide as he looked down below him. He saw a bony green hand digging it's nails into his ankle, gripped onto him tight. Attached to the hand was the body of a zombie mutt, who was forcefully pulling Rory back towards the ground. He couldn't climb anymore because he was being weighed down by the weight of another creature and he could feel himself by beginning to slip.

He shook his leg viciously and tried to pull himself away from the mutt, but it only made it dig it's claws deeper into his ankle.

"Let go! Get off!" Rory yelled desperately as he tried to yank himself away, sharp pain in his ankle. More mutts had gathered around the first zombie and were growling and moaning angrily from below. A few of them began to claw at his foot too, another successful latching on.

With a tug, Rory felt his other foot stumble off the support beam from all of the weight, and he began to panic. He was now holding on by only his hands.

"Rory! Rory, oh god, wait a minute." Freddie rambled nervously from the top of the roller coaster as he began to place his foot back on the side of the ride. "Take my hand when-" he began to say as he steadied his foot in one of the crooks.

"Stay up there!" Rory yelled, interrupting him. "Don't you dare risk your life for me! I'm n-" Rory was drowned out by the angry moans of the zombies, who demanded to be noticed.

Rory looked down once again, and in that moment, he knew it was game over. He cut off his sentence and winced at the heavy, tearing pain in his ankle. The mutts were now beginning to shake the beams of the ride and some were beginning to latch onto the other zombies' hands that were gripped into Rory in attempts to pull him down. He looked up at Freddie one last time.

On the top of the ride, Freddie was panicking internally, not knowing what else he could do. He saw Rory look back up at him for a split second, then the wooden rail he was hanging onto snapped in two and he plunged towards the ground.

Freddie watched in horror as the zombies roars grew wildly louder and sickly green hands caught onto his ally immediately. Before Rory even hit the ground, they were tearing away at him, yanking his limbs apart and ripping him open.

Through the guttural moans and the splattering blood of his ally, Freddie's mouth dropped open. Rory was being eaten alive. Rory was dying. Rory wasn't going to make it out and there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do at this point. He couldn't even make out a scream through the loudness of the zombies.

BOOM!

A cannon sounded loudly throughout the madness only moments later and Freddie's stomach dropped.

Rory was gone.

* * *

Kramer looked out the window, staring at the hoard of mutts that had taken residence next door at that big wooden roller coaster. It was dark outside, but the illumination that the lights gave off let him see what was going on.

"Zombies." He said dryly. "I should've guessed that."

A few feet behind him, Aspen shied away from the window. He didn't want to draw the mutts' attention towards them. Thanks to Kramer, the arcade was barred shut, but he didn't want to test the zombies. For all he knew, they could break the door down if they wanted to. "T-that cannon... Who do you think it was?" He asked quietly.

Kramer shrugged and backed away from the window. "I heard some screaming over there, but I don't know who it was. It sounded like a guy." He said as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms casually. "Sucks that it probably wasn't Velvet."

Both of them were quiet for a moment as the disturbing sounds of wet chewing and throaty moans continued on from outside. Kramer narrowed his eyes, deep in thought, and Aspen twiddled his thumbs nervously. Though they were thinking different things, silently they both seemed to come to the same conclusion. There was no dancing around this.

"This doesn't seem like something we can wait out." Kramer said evenly, eyes focused on the floor. "These mutts aren't just gonna go away."

Aspen nodded as he raised his head. "I agree." He said softly, getting right to the point. "What are you thinking about doing?"

"Killing 'em" Kramer said bluntly, causing Aspen to take a sharp intake of breath. He had a feeling Kramer would say something like that, but he didn't really want to hear it out loud.

Aspen pushed his fear aside and nodded again. "Okay.." He drawled. "How exactly are we gonna kill all these zombies?" He asked cautiously.

Kramer frowned and pursed his lips, eyes going deep into thought. He stayed like that for a moment, leaning up against the wall with his arms folded, then he raised his head and his eyes met Aspen's. "Fire."

Aspen audibly gasped. "F-fire?" He squeaked.

Kramer shrugged as he stood upright. "Unless you feel like killing all these zombies by hand." He laughed humorlessly. He caught Aspen's worried gaze and he dropped his smile. "Look, it's actually a brilliant plan. I used to be really into pyromania in like seventh grade. I can _start_ fires, trust me. Just give me a lighter and this whole east wing will be licked clean by sunrise." He said assuringly.

Aspen was seized with fear and shock. His eyes grew wide, but Kramer didn't miss a beat though. "We aren't going to die in the fire and you aren't going to get killed by a zombie. I won't let it happen." Kramer said with a protective edge in his voice. "It's gonna be fine... Well, for us at least."

"W-what about the other tributes?" He asked, knowing that he didn't want to hear the answer.

Kramer clicked his tongue. "We're gonna smoke them out." he replied darkly.

Aspen felt a chill swim through his body. He knew now that Kramer had this idea in his head, there would be no stopping him. He also knew that Kramer would do it whether he agreed to it or not. One thing Aspen had learned about his new ally was that he didn't just talk, he took action.

This was really going to happen.

And they were the only ones that knew.

* * *

The minute Haven heard the wall break down on the east wing, he began running even deeper into the opposite side of the park.

He didn't even look back, he knew what was happening.

Haven knew that as soon as the clock hit midnight, the mutts would be released. He had known this since yesterday. The original plan was for him and Lorelei to get into this wing of the park before dark to avoid the mutts, but they got... sidetracked.

Haven shook his head as he jogged through this unfamiliar part of the arena. _He_ had gotten sidetracked. There was no more they. Lorelei was dead. It was just him now.

It felt strange to be alone in this big arena. Even before the bloodbath, he had been surrounded by allies. There was always company, always someone to depend on, always someone to talk to. Now it was just him and he felt both terribly solitary and terribly liberated at the same time.

He was his only concern now. There was no one on his team anymore.

Within the minute, Haven somehow found himself climbing up the side of one of the metal roller coasters called The Tornado. In his mind, it made sense to get an eagle's eye view of this arena. It also felt a lot safer to be off the ground.

He only had one hand available as he climbed because the cast on his left arm wouldn't allow him to grip the bars properly, but he leaned his body weight forward to prevent himself from falling backwards. Every few minutes, he had to rest because his hand would start to ache, but he always got himself to keep going after a while.

Before long, he he reached a crook in the ride that sloped in such a way that it would let him sit back like he was in a chair when he turned his body in the right direction. He slowly made his way towards it and rested his back against the metal bars.

As he settled down, he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. Now that he was off the ground, he could finally stop watching his back for a while.

Without the looming fear of being ambushed hanging over his head, he soon found that his sad thoughts were beginning to creep back into his mind. Now there was nothing to distract him from thinking about his journey and he couldn't excuse himself from reminiscing on what had happened anymore.

He leaned his head back and decided to just start from the beginning. He let his mind drift back to District Ten. He remembered how that morning his biggest fear was not being there to see the new colt when it got birthed. Haven laughed to himself and wondered how the animals were doing back at the farm. The next thing to come to his mind was when he was in the justice building and how upset Christian was when he walked into the room. Haven told him it was fine, but deep down he wished it didn't take getting reaped for him to realize how much he meant to his brother. He also remembered how mom had warned him about not going on his little rebellious capitol rants anymore. At the time, he didn't understand why she was so worried, but now he did.

The capitol could take everything you loved away just like that. He had seen them do it.

His stay in the capitol seemed like a blur. All he could recall was the aura of wild celebration and fake hope it gave him to be there. Training was a haze. Just a bunch of small talk and nervous energy. At the time, he was still trying to be friendly with his new allies. It all seemed so far away now though.

He remembered when Lyle died in the bloodbath. The boy didn't even get off his plate, so they couldn't wait up for him. Haven knew he probably could have just hauled Lyle over his shoulder and ran, but the thought hadn't even crossed his mind until now.

Cherry was next. Haven remembered how sudden her death was and it truly scared him. There was no warning whatsoever. Just one wrong word with Lucius Kramer won her a knife between the eyes. It wasn't fair. He could have just let them live, but he killed her without even apologizing.

He hated the District One boy for that, but he knew he had no right to.

This was a _game_. People died all the time. It wasn't personal.

Well, in Lithium's case, it _was_ personal. Haven genuinely hated that girl and he had no qualms about pushing her in front of the train. He had even tried to feel sorry about it, but he just couldn't. That girl killed Lorelei. She killed lots of people. He wished it didn't have to happen that way, but it did and it was over and he couldn't change it.

Haven opened his eyes and looked into the night sky. He wondered how many cameras were focused on him right now. There were probably hundreds of thousands of people watching him. It was so weird to think that other people had followed him on this journey from all the way back home thanks to the television. Out of all the people in the nation, he probably had a few fans. Fans that smiled when he won battles and clutched their hearts when he cried and got afraid when he was faced with trouble. There were people that wanted him to win. District Ten was depending on him to win.

It was so strange that people actually knew who he was now. Back at home, he was just Christian's awkward little brother. He wasn't someone people noticed. He was just a farm boy. Now he was in the final five of this year's Hunger Games.

It was such a dramatic change that it didn't feel digestible, not even now.

He wondered what he looked like to the rest of Panem. His shirt was splotched with blood and he had a deep cut on his cheek now. He knew he was the same old Haven he was before, just a bit bloodier. He still had the same blue eyes and brown hair. He had the same voice and the same old smile. He was still him, but more broken.

And even broken, he could still win.

He let that thought settle as he closed his eyes again, internally drifting back to District Ten.

* * *

Freddie sat on the top of the big wooden roller coaster in the east wing, trying not to panic. The zombies hadn't moved locations yet. They were right below him, moaning more than ever.

After they finished eating Rory's dismembered body parts, they began to look at _him_. It seemed like they were planning on waiting there until he came down. They had him trapped.

Freddie tried not to make eye contact with them, but every time he let his eyes slip in their direction, they began to rile up, raising their voices and reaching for him dramatically.

Freddie eventually just buried his head in his hands and began to cry. He didn't know what to do anymore. He had never known what to do. Rory was the brain. Before he ran into him, Freddie had just spent the first half of the games chilling on the boardwalk. The only tribute he ever ran into there was Salome, but she was a friend. He had never been faced with actual trouble until now.

He knew Salome would probably know what to do, but she was dead too. He remembered when her face appeared in the sky a few days ago. That night, he couldn't wipe the tears off his face fast enough. The two of them weren't very close, but she was still from home.

He missed District Five desperately. He missed Mitch more than anything.

Just the mere thought of his boyfriend made Freddie even more upset. He had tried to avoid thinking about him for the past week, but he always seemed to find a way back into his mind. He knew Mitch was waiting for him back in Five, but he knew he probably wasn't going to make it.

It was so tragic. Freddie was doomed from the moment he got reaped. He and Mitch could have been so much more, but they were so far away now. He wished they could just have a few more minutes together, just to say goodbye.

He wished he had gotten the chance to say goodbye. To Mitch, to Rory, to Salome... to everyone.

He was always going to die in here. He just hoped everyone would be okay with it when it happened.

* * *

"Okay, so let's go over this one more time." Kramer said, looking directly at Aspen.

The younger boy nodded, giving Kramer the queue to continue.

Kramer nodded as well as he held up the gallon of gasoline they found in the janitor's closet. "You're gonna wait outside the arcade with our supplies while I run past the mutts, spilling a trail of gasoline around them. Once I've made a complete circle around them, I'm going to toss the lit lighter into the gasoline and they'll go up in flames. If all goes according to plan, the zombies will get caught on fire and burn to death while we run. Now, if we get held up or something goes wrong, just _run_. Don't worry about me. Remember, we're gonna meet at the cornucopia, okay? If I'm not there by sunrise, then... well then you know what happened to me."

Aspen swallowed the lump in his throat. Kramer last words lingered in his head. If he wasn't there by sunrise... "I-I..." Aspen couldn't think of anything to say. The thought of losing another ally made his knees shake.

Kramer sighed. "Aspen, you're going to be okay. Just remember the plan."

Aspen couldn't form any words, so he just nodded.

Kramer patted him on the shoulder and grabbed his lighter off of the air hockey table. "Well, let's do this then." He smiled as he walked towards the front of the arcade. There was a certain finality in his voice that made Aspen's heart sink in his chest.

As the two approached the door, Kramer glanced at his ally. "Keep a low profile. I'm gonna try to be as quiet as possible." He said softly as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

Aspen nodded. "G-good luck." He stuttered nervously.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kramer's lips. "Thanks. I'll see you in a minute." He said before he slipped out the front door silently.

And that was it. Aspen slowly followed Kramer out of the arcade and closed the door behind him carefully. The cool night air felt chilly against his bare arms, but Aspen ignored it. He had bigger things to worry about. When the door clicked shut, he turned his head towards the group of zombies on his right and breathed in through his nose cautiously, wary of making any noise at all.

Kramer was already making his way towards the mutts, a drum of gasoline in one hand and a lighter in the other. He was walking in long, silent strides, keeping out of their line of vision. His scarlet hair stood out under the illuminating night lights of the park, but he was keeping so close to the edge of the sidewalk that he was hidden by the shadows.

Aspen held his breath as Kramer got within ten feet of the mutts. Kramer took one more cautious step forward and then stood still for a second, taking a deep breath.

Then he ran towards them. He began to spill the gasoline around the zombies from behind, already half way through by the time they noticed him. When they caught sight of him though, they acted immediately, going wild. Kramer narrowly dodged several outstretched hands as he continued to spill gasoline around them. Within a few seconds, one of the zombies lunged for Kramer's throat and he smacked it in the head with the half full drum of gasoline.

Kramer panicked and dropped the drum in the madness. Realizing he had made a mistake, he quickly fumbled for his lighter as he dodged several attacks. With a flick of his thumb, a flame appeared from the lighter and Kramer quickly tossed it into the wet gasoline trail.

The flames came alive instantly, creating a blazing orange inferno around the mutts and catching their bodies on fire before he could even blink. Kramer leapt out of the way just before the flames caught where he was standing. Without even looking back, he scrambled to his feet and began to run towards Aspen. The screeches and tortured screams of the mutts filled his ears, proving the best, but he refused to look back until he reached his ally.

Back by the arcade, Aspen watched as figures of fire thrashed around in the flames by the roller coaster. Before he could panic, Kramer came barreling out though the madness and relief flooded Aspen's entire system. His ally had survived. That's all he could comprehend.

Aspen was about to burst out in a grin, when he noticed the panicked look on Kramer's face. "Run!" His crimson haired ally bellowed as he approached him.

Confusion clouded Aspen's mind. They weren't supposed to run unless their plan didn't work. What could possibly-

"I dropped the drum of gasoline back there! It's gonna explode!" Kramer yelled as he yanked Aspen backwards suddenly. "Run!"

Almost as if on queue, a loud _boom_ sounded from the heart of the inferno and fire immediately spilled across the wooden roller coaster, engulfing it in flames.

Aspen tripped over his own feet and stumbled onto the concrete pavement. When he looked back up, his mouth dropped open at the sheer amount of fire before his eyes. The entire wooden roller coaster had caught afire within a few seconds and it was cracking with flames. He began to rise back onto his feet when suddenly, the sound of a cannon boomed loudly.

BOOM!

Kramer jumped from behind him and gasped audibly. "Oh my god!"

"Wh-was someone in there?" Kramer yelled in a panicked voice over the roaring fire. "Aspen, let's- let's get out of here!" He yelled as he yanked his ally's hand forward.

Kramer's heart pounded in his chest as he and Aspen disappeared into the maze of rides.

Someone had been in there.

* * *

The sound of a second cannon jolted Velvet out of her beauty sleep.

She had ignored the first cannon, sensing that another death was bound to happen soon, but after hearing two cannons sound within an hour of each other, she perked up. Something had to be going on.

Velvet rubbed the sleep out of her burning eyes and yawned. She sat in a daze for a few minutes, drowsiness creeping back up on her, but she forced herself to sit up. The chilly air of the ice cream shop gave her goosebumps and the sound of the clock ticked rythematically from the wall. She took a while to wake herself up, but eventually she rose to her feet. Judging by the darkness outside, it was probably still some ungodly hour of the morning. Velvet turned towards the clock and let out an annoyed sigh.

What in the hell could be happening at two in the morning.

Deciding that she might as well check it out, she slipped her knife into her back pocket and trudged out the front door of the ice cream shop. As the cool night breeze brushed her hair over her shoulder, she noticed the smell of smoke drifting through the air.

_Strange_, Velvet thought, frowning. The air usually smelled pretty clean. She glanced around herself, looking for the source of the smoke, until her eyes caught on something.

Even from the opposite side of the park, she could see the burning wooden roller coaster in the distance. Rich orange flames danced around the top of the ride, illuminating the night sky with heat and sparks. She was miles away from it and she could still hear the sound of crackling wood and chunks of the ride falling to the ground.

Velvet stared at the flames in shock, her heart rate accelerating. What had she possibly missed? Velvet's eyes grew wide as she continue to stare at the blazing orange furnace that lay miles ahead of her. Who were those cannons earlier? What was happening? Had those two dead tributes perished in that fire?

A sudden thought hit her.

There were only four tributes left now. With the cannons that rang while she was asleep, that meant that two more contestants had been eliminated. She had no clue who they were, but their deaths signaled one thing.

Before she could think any further, the sound of static filled the arena.

Velvet's heart fluttered in her chest. There was an announcement coming! In the back of her head, she had a feeling she know what it would be too.

"Ahem, tributes." The sound of a man clearing his throat came through the speaker. "Firstly, congratulations on making it so far in this year's Hunger Games." He said warmly. "Secondly, in celebration of your success of making it all the way to the final four, there will be a feast taking place at the cornucopia tomorrow morning at sunrise. We encourage you to attend and enjoy the luxuries that will be provided for you there. Good luck to all of you. And once again, Happy Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor."

* * *

**R.I.P. Rory and Freddie**

**Rory was VERY well liked by you guys, which was pretty cool. I didn't expect him to have so many fans so that was a pleasant surprise. I really liked his personality and his backstory, plus his natural instinct to just do the right thing. I know you guys are gonna hate that he died and i'm sorry, but at least he made it to the top six!**

**Unfortunately, Freddie did die in the fire... I remember coming up with Freddie's character at like 4 a.m. and rolling over in bed to write down ideas for him. He was very dear to me and i loved writing for him. I know him being gay and a drug addict is a bit controversial, but it is what it is. i'm all about gay rights and stuff anyways, so if you have a problem with that then COME AT ME. lmao, but seriously, I'm happy that he got so much positive feedback. I will miss both of these characters so much :(**

**A/N: 4 tributes left! ..ok so i'm not even going to attempt to ignore the massive elephant in the room. i know i haven't updated for a WHILE now. what has it been, nearly a month? yikes. this update took a while because i just haven't had it in me to write a new chapter lately... i've been feeling completely physically and emotionally drained this summer and that's really the only legit reason i have. i'm not abandoning the story though for those of you who keep asking. i guarantee you, no matter how long i take to update, i will NEVER quit on a story. that would be selfish of me and pretty unfair to you as well... so don't worry about that.**

**anyways, the feast has been announced! who do you think will attend? who do you think will wait it out? ..as i was writing this chapter, i realized how much i am missing jude and lithium and all the others.. i'm just so used to writing scenes with them in it, and i actually feel pretty sad when i remember that they're gone now. anyways, the zombies have now been burned out of the arena along with 20 other tributes... 20, that feels so crazy.. it has been a wild ride and soon, it will all come to a close. but before it ends, one of these four remaining tributes will be crowned victor. who do you think it will be? leave you guesses via review!**

**and i swear i won't take like a year to update this time.**


	34. Sunset

As the sun rose on the tenth day, Haven's eyes fluttered open. He was still perched up in the crook of The Tornado, his leg dangling off the side of the ride. In his arms, he clutched his last backpack loosely. It contained a vial of painkillers, some dried fruit slices, and his only knife. Everything else had either been used up or scattered across the arena. Even though his supplies were dwindling, he had a feeling he wouldn't be needing them for much longer anyways.

These games were coming to a close.

Haven soon became aware of the dull burning behind his eyelids and how sleep deprived his body was. His dreams had been restless that night, filled with waking moments and nightmares.

Ever since the announcement of the feast at like three in the morning today, Haven knew he wasn't going to be getting any good sleep. He was way too nervous to let himself drift off like that. Plus, if he did attend the feast, he knew very well that he would end up dead. He just couldn't have that. Haven was set on going home, so he could not risk his life this late in the game.

Haven soon came to the conclusion that he would just wait it out. He knew that he had a better chance of making it to the finale if he skipped the feast rather than if he went to it. That was really the deciding factor for him. From here on out, he had to play it smart. There would be no more walking through the arena aimlessly or dilly dallying around. If he was going to win this thing, he had to be on top of his game.

Sure, the gamemakers would be irritated that he didn't show up to the feast, but pleasing them wasn't Haven's main priority right now. Staying alive was. And if that made him a coward, then so be it. He had been through too much in this arena to just throw it all away.

With his mind made up, Haven closed his eyes again. He felt a lot safer knowing that he was playing it safe now and that in itself was enough to lull him into slumber.

Drifting into a peaceful state of mind, Haven soon dozed off and let himself fall into a gentle sleep.

* * *

After the announcement of the feast late last night, Aspen and Kramer decided to go head to the arcade until sunrise. As soon as they burst back through the familiar doors, they laid out their sleeping bags and got ready for bed. There wasn't much talking between them that night, as they both knew what was going to happen in the morning. As soon as the feast was declared, Aspen turned to Kramer and told him he wanted to go. Kramer didn't question him and agreed to attend alongside him. Whether they communicated about it or not, they both knew that these games were ending.

As the sun rose that morning, Aspen was awake long before his ally. He was way too alert with anticipation to sleep any longer and kicked his sleeping bag aside, ready to go.

"Are we still going to the feast?" Aspen asked Kramer as he noticed that he began to stir underneath the blankets.

Kramer rolled onto his back and stretched luxuriously. "Mmmm hm." He yawned as he opened his eyes.

Aspen rolled on the balls of his feet nervously. "Okie dokie." He said anxiously. "Soo um, when are we leaving?" He didn't want to wait around any longer. Every minute that passed made him doubt himself more and more. Even with a strong ally by his side, Aspen knew that feasts _always_ resulted in multiple cannons. He just hoped one wouldn't belong to him.

Kramer looked at the clock on the wall with his eyes half open and groaned. It was just past eleven o'clock, which meant he had slept in. A lot. Kramer immediately wiggled out of his blankets and tossed his pillow aside. "We can leave now if you want, let me just get my knives first." He said, trying to hide the irritation in his voice. He had wanted to leave around eight in the morning. Wasting no more time, Kramer rose to his feet and walked towards their backpacks that were piled by the door.

Aspen's eyes followed his ally across the room as he watched him strap on his leather vest of throwing knives and tuck a long slick knife into his back pocket. He was about to shove another short knife under his arm, when he looked at Aspen and realized he was weaponless.

"What, you weren't planning on going to the feast without a knife, were you?" Kramer laughed dryly.

Aspen didn't answer, feeling his face heating up.

"Do you even have a knife?" Kramer asked, rephrasing his statement.

Aspen finally shook his head and let out a nervous laugh. "I, uh no, I don't have one." He stuttered.

Kramer just shrugged and held out his spare knife. "Take this one then."

Aspen wanted to smile, but instead he became worried at the offer of a weapon. "I, um, I kind of don't know how to use it." He fidgeted with his hands anxiously.

Kramer cracked a smile at that as he motioned him over. "It's really pretty easy." He began to say as Aspen walked over to him. "Just grab it by the hilt and stab forward. See? Simple." He said as he demonstrated with the knife as he sliced through the air. "And if you wanna throw it, just pull your arm back, take aim, and throw." He said as he sent the knife flying into the wall. It landed with a thud as it sunk into the hollow structure. "There's really nothing to it, it's all about aim and precision mostly. Just pretend like you know what you're doing, and eventually you'll get it." He shrugged as he retrieved the knife out of the side of the wall.

Aspen nodded as Kramer handed him the knife. "Like this?" He drawled as he threw the knife into the wall just as Kramer did. His aim was a bit lower and it didn't end up making as deep of a impact as his ally did, but it was still decent for a first throw.

Kramer nodded. "Exactly." He said as he went to pull the knife out of the wall once again. "I guess we'll have some practice at the feast, huh?" He smirked darkly.

Aspen's eyes grew wider, but he should have been used to it by now. Dark humor was kind of Kramer's thing. He was always making comments like that every now and then that made Aspen squirm, but he didn't mind it as much anymore. It was just one of those things he would have to accept about his new friend.

"Well, we kind of need to leave now." Kramer said suddenly as he handed the knife back to Aspen. "It's already quarter after eleven."

Aspen gulped back a new emerging lump in his throat and nodded. As he took the knife from his ally, he felt the weight of it in his hands and began to feel really small. As the youngest competitor left, he knew he was at somewhat of a disadvantage. He had a grim feeling about the impending feast that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he was starting to feel afraid.

Sensing this, Kramer put his hand on Aspen's shoulder and guided him towards the front of the arcade. "Come on, bud. It's time to go." He said with a hint of finality to his voice that made Aspen's heart sink a bit. There was no more putting it off.

Aspen nodded and followed his ally through the front doors. "Okay." He said softly as he took one last look back at their arcade. He knew he might not be seeing it again.

Taking a deep breath, the two boys stepped out into the arena and began to make their way towards the cornucopia.

A quiet dinging noise made Aspen perk up though. He raised his eyes to the sky and saw a little silver parachute coming right towards them. His heart fluttered into his chest as his eyes landed on it. He elbowed Kramer lightly. "Look!" He exclaimed as he went to go catch it.

As Aspen's fingers grazed the parachute, it landed in his hands gently. There was no note attached to it, it was just a simple metal container. Aspen pressed the button on the top and the parachute opened with a click, revealing a small, dark vial of liquid. He tried to read the description on it, but he couldn't seem to make out the long words, nor did he recognize the sponsor gift.

"What is it?" He asked as he handed the small vial to Kramer.

Kramer took the bottle from him and scanned it curiously. He silently read the long name printed on the vial and turned it around and read the description as well. "It's poison." Kramer said simply after a moment. "Venom of the black scorpion androctonus crassicauda. The description says that when injected orally, it paralyzes the victim, yet leaves all of it's nerves and vitals intact, making it possible for further torture of the victim. It takes away their mobility, but leaves all five of their senses alone. Basically it's sadism in a bottle." He explained evenly. Kramer looked towards Aspen as he tucked the vial of poison into his pocket. "We're probably going to need this." He mumbled.

* * *

As Velvet waited in the clearing of the cornucopia, she wondered where all the others were. It was now half past eleven and no one had shown up yet. She guessed it was expected that the wimp from Ten and the little kid from Seven wouldn't come, but Kramer? No, he definitely should have been here. He was the biggest competitor left besides herself and if he didn't show up then something definitely wasn't right.

Velvet tapped her well manicured nails against her hip and glanced around the cornucopia. The feast was here, so where was everyone at?

When she arrived early in the morning, she was not disappointed. The interior of the cornucopia had been restocked and filled to the brim with supplies. Knives, maces, spears, swords, and any other weapon you could imagine lined the walls and were spilling into the mouth of the cornucopia. There were medical supplies and potions in the back that would surely heal any wound, but Velvet wasn't in bad shape so she didn't need them.

It was the food that really caught her eye, though. A long wooden table had been laid out in the from of the cornucopia and was lined with brown mahogany chairs. On either end of the table, a chair larger than the others rested in place. Those two chairs looked like thrones, made with red velveteen cushions and engraved with gold carvings.

The food looked amazing. Two glazed turkeys sat side by side in the middle of the banquet, and the rest of the delicacies were spread out around them. There was a large fruit tray, a dark chocolate fountain, mashed potatoes, stews, pastries, gelatin sculptures, lobsters and other seafoods piled high on a tray, chilled fruits, bottles of champagne resting in a bowl of ice, and other things that Velvet didn't recognize. It was truly grand.

She didn't get to admire it for much longer though, because in that very moment, she saw a figure step out from the maze of the rides. As she glanced over at the familiar head of crimson hair, she soon realized her district partner was not alone. Right by his side was the little boy from District Seven, clutching a knife in his small hand.

"Miss Forbes, we meet again." Lucius Kramer said simply as they made eye contact, a smile beginning to form on his lips.

Velvet smirked slightly as she gripped the knife from behind her back. "What a nice surprise to see the two of you here. I was beginning to think you weren't showing up." She said with fake politeness as she revealed her weapon.

* * *

Kramer felt Aspen tense up by his side as Velvet slid a knife out from behind her back. He wanted to tell him that it was okay, but he had already said it too many times, plus they were about to have the most glorious battle these games had ever seen, so sweet talking his friend wouldn't be appropriate at the moment.

After a moment of Velvet staring them down, Kramer quickly grew tired of it. "So are we going to stare at each other all day or are we actually going to fight?" He asked in a blunt voice.

The smirk on Velvet's pretty face turned into a full blown smile and she shrugged. "Oh we're gonna fight alright." She said with a soft tone of voice that didn't match the blood thirst in her eyes.

Then she lunged.

Kramer was ready immediately, stepping forward to counter her attack. As he put his arms up, ready to defend himself, Velvet did something that surprised him.

Right when she was at arm's length, she wheeled herself to the right of a Kramer and whipped her knife out at his ally instead. Before he could even register what was happening, Aspen found himself with a knife plunged deep into his upper respiratory system.

Kramer's eyes flew open. His ally stumbled to his knees, the metal blade protruding out of his chest. Dark red blood began to soak his shirt and his green eyes grew wide in shock. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words would form. As he was beginning to raise his hands to his chest, he stumbled over and fell onto the ground. What happened next made Kramer's stomach drop.

BOOM!

The cannon sounded across the arena, shaking the concrete ground on which they stood. All was still for a moment, until Kramer slowly turned his head towards Velvet, his eyes unusually dark, like something had snapped in him. "Wrong move." He said flatly.

Then it was his turn to lunge. Kramer dodged Velvet's first swing of her knife and he shoved her down onto the ground with surprising force. Her head smacked the pavement painfully as she felt Kramer climb on top of her. She stabbed forward with her knife again, but Kramer caught her wrist in his hand midway and crushed it in his string grip. He pried the knife out of her stubborn fingers and flung it across the cornucopia.

Velvet attempted to kick him off of her and Kramer grabbed her by the throat and pinned her down roughly. "Fight me one more time and I'll saw you in half." He growled roughly into her ear. From behind his back, she saw him take something out of his pocket.

Velvet's eyes grew wide as she realized what he was now holding in his hand.

"You know, Velvet, I didn't really want to use this." Kramer sighed loudly. "But now that you've killed my one and only ally, I think I might have to change my mind." He said simply as he unscrewed the bottle and tossed the cap aside.

He then plastered a huge grin onto his face and raised his eyebrows. "Open wide!" Kramer exclaimed with fake happiness as he brought the vial of black towards Velvet's face.

Velvet jerked her head away violently and smacked and kicked at her enemy, trying to free herself. Kramer stayed put though, ignoring her squirming body underneath his. He grabbed her face at one point with a uncomfortably strong grip and attempted to pry open her mouth with one of his free fingers. She clamped her teeth shut and pressed her lips together stubbornly. She would fight tooth and nail to keep that shit away from her. She wasn't giving in.

Kramer caught onto this pretty quickly and realized that this attempt was futile. He swiftly changed his approach. If she wouldn't obey, then he would just force her to.

Kramer let go of Velvet's face and clamped his hand over her nose instead. If he cut off her air supply, she would run out and be forced to open her mouth at some point. When she did take a breath, he would dump the bottle of poison down her throat while it was exposed.

As she quickly began to run out of breath, her eyes glared at him in both panic and anger as she felt her face grew pale and felt herself suffocating in his grasp.

Suddenly, her lips burst apart as she gasped for breath, and Kramer immediacy dumped the vial of poison all over her mouth area. Some of it slid down her chin and some got into her nose, but most of it managed to fill her mouth with murky, black liquid.

Velvet spit and coughed, but accidentally involuntarily swallowed some of the poison and her eyes grew wide when she realized what she had done.

Kramer smiled as he saw her eyes grew wide, and he let go of her throat.

Velvet almost instantly felt her body begin to relax. She struggled for control over herself as she tried to tense her muscles and move, but the poison was quickly spreading throughout her system, freezing everything in it's way. She tried to pick her head up off the ground, but she realized that she had become completely immobile and limp from the torso, up. It was like the strength was being sucked right out of her. It didn't hurt, but she could feel herself get weak. After a minute or two, she couldn't even move her fingertips anymore.

Numbly, she noticed Kramer standing over her exposed body, smiling deviously.

Through her panic, she could feel anger course through her. "What do you want?" She growled at him, her voice filled with hatred.

Kramer twirled his knife in his hand and looked at it calmly. "I want you covered in blood, babe." He replied simply.

Adrenaline surged through Velvet's heart and she instinctively tried to reach out for him, but she soon remembered that she was paralyzed. Kramer glanced down at her and his smile grew, making his hazel eyes crinkle up at the edges. "It's all over now. You can quit fighting it."

Velvet watched as her district partner opened up the vest of throwing knives strapped over his chest and fished out a small, thin blade. He walked back over to her and her heart rate accelerated. "No, no no, no." Her eyes grew wide. "No, no no." It was all she could say. She couldn't even lock her muscles in self defense because even her body had given up on her. All she could do was lie still here defenseless while this boy did whatever he wanted with her.

Noticing her fear, Kramer smiled devilishly as he put his knife to her throat, trying the flesh there. The sharp tip of the blade broke her skin and Velvet gasped, a single tear rolling down the side of her face. This was happening. The torture was beginning.

Kramer shook his head slowly as he suddenly pulled the knife away from her throat. "Hmm, no. You actually _don't_ deserve a quick death." He said thoughtfully. He brought the knife down to her wrist instead and positioned it against her skin. Velvet yelled, her voice cracking as pain appeared where he placed the knife almost immediately. Kramer pushed down on the blade as it cut through her wrist, snapping veins and drawing blood instantly. He didn't stop until he hit a bone.

Hearing Velvet's difficult breathing, he lifted his head and raised his eyebrows. "Are you crying?" He observed, amused, as he removed the blade from her now slick arm and looked up at her.

"N- no.." she choked out through the tears. She wanted to wipe them away, but she had no control of herself anymore. She felt completely exposed and invaded. "Yes."

A sudden look of concern crossed Kramer's handsome face. "Oh you're in pain aren't you, love?"

"A little. A l- very mu-much p-pain.." She forced out from her swollen throat.

Kramer paused for a moment. "Aw." He said with false sympathy, puffing out his bottom lip.

Then he brought his knife down on her again.

She screamed like a wild banshee as excruciating pain exploded in her stomach.

"This is what you signed up for, isn't it?" He yelled. "You volunteered for this!"

Velvet didn't reply, she just began to sob. She couldn't defend herself and she was going to die. She wasn't going to make it home. She wasn't going to be alive in an hour and it was all about to be over.

"You are absolutely mad for thinking you could win this thing! Why would you do that? Why would you volunteer for a death match? I don't get it, Velvet!" Kramer raised his voice in frustration. "Any fool stupid enough to volunteer for these games deserves to die spitting blood." He added curtly at the end, making more tears drip down Velvet's face.

"Then k-kill me." she choked out suddenly. "Just kill me."

Kramer looked amused as he stopped for a moment and looked at her. "Nah, I'm not done with you just yet." he replied.

Then all the light drained from him and his face took on a sinister glare. "I want to squeeze every ounce of sweet agony from you, Velvet. I want you to suffer just like Aspen did when you killed Petunia. I want you to suffer just like I am right now because you killed Aspen." He said as he dragged his blade down her forearm, breaking the delicate skin of her wrist. Red blood began to appear out of the long, thin slit immediately and Velvet felt every bit of it. She winced and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to repress the sharp pain lacing up her arm.

"I cared about Aspen, you know. He was a good kid." Kramer continued, eyes on her wrist that was dark with red now. He looked up at Velvet with raised eyebrows to make sure she was paying attention, then went back to his work. "And you killed him in cold blood. how could you do that, Velvet? He was so innocent. He never would have hurt you. He didn't have it in him to be that cruel."

Velvet frowned in frustration. "You, you killed nearly half of the tributes here, Lucius. Don't t-tell me about killing in col-cold blood."

"I didn't kill little kids. Everyone I killed was my age and over. I remember it. It's not much of a difference, I know that. But killing kids younger than me just wouldn't feel right."

"F-feel right?" Velvet repeated, confusion beginning to swamp her mind. She could feel the pain beginning to ebb away, which scared her.

Kramer laughed humorlessly. "I admit, I do like blood. I think that's fairly obvious." His eyes lit up. "Speaking of which."

He looked at her wrists one at a time that were now drowned in the red liquid and clicked his tongue. "It won't be long until you bleed out. And you know what? I'm going to let you. It's nothing personal, I just think you should die a horrible death after killing my ally and all."

Velvet knew she should have been angry, but instead, she starting to feel oddly calm. It was as if a wave of coldness had washed over her and it was beginning to soothe her wounds and open cuts. She could still hear Kramer talking, but his voice seemed to get further and further away with every passing moment.

Eventually, her vision gave out and she let herself succumb into the comfort of the cold waves of the heavens as everything turned white.

BOOM!

Kramer instantly rolled his eyes at the cannon, annoyed that she had died so soon. "Velvet?" He said her name, but there was no response, just the sounds of eery silence and distant flames still licking away at the landscape. He grunted as he rose to his feet and kicked her dead body just for good measure. It was disappointing and he had hoped she would have lasted longer, but overall, he supposed he had proven his point.

Turning around, he walked towards the feast that was still laying there, untouched, and slumped into one of the red cushioned thrones. After he tossed his knife aside and wiping his hands clean on a cloth napkin, he grabbed one of the lobsters from the pile and cracked it open with his teeth.

He ate the meat out of it as he looked from Aspen to Velvet, both lying lifeless on the ground on either side of him. The first thing that hit him as he observed their dead bodies was that he was alone once again. He didn't have Aspen anymore. Things were solitary again. It was now Kramer against the world, just like it had been before.

As he reached for another lobster, he decided that he would just deal with the last competitor tomorrow. After all, someone might as well enjoy this feast and he guessed it would be him.

* * *

As the sun set, the capitol anthem appeared in the sky, filling the arena with loud musical tunes. Haven waited attentively for The Fallen to be projected as he sat atop The Tornado. He had ended up sleeping longer than he planned to and had therefore missed any cannons that had boomed during the day

As the first face appeared in the sky, Haven's eyes flew open in surprise. It was the girl from District One, the last career in the game. In her picture, she was smiling widely and her chin was raised haughtily. Her big brown eyes looked directly into the camera lens and her long blonde hair was tossed over one shoulder carelessly.

She looked so confident and sure of herself in her profile shot that Haven had a hard time believing that she was actually dead. It was so strange to think that he hadn't just beaten out one career, but he had beaten out all of them. There was still her district partner, Lucius, who was still alive, but he wasn't with the career pack in the first place so technically he had beaten out all of them.

The next face to appear in the sky was that pothead from Five, meaning that Lucius Kramer was still alive. Everyone from Two, Three, and Four had been dead for a while now, so their districts got skipped over. In his picture, Freddie looked so distant and empty, almost like he wasn't really there. His melancholy brown eyes looked right at Haven from up in the sky and he could feel his heart grew heavy. He knew Freddie wasn't a fighter or a mean hearted guy, so he should not be dead. It wasn't right.

The next face to appear made Haven's heart sink into his stomach. The little boy from District Seven's smiling face shimmered into view, his green eyes so bright and pure, and his grin stretching from one side of his face to the other. Haven shook his head as the anthem continued on. He remembered Aspen and his ally, Petunia, from training. Those were some good kids right there, and now they were just dead. It was so unfair how a pair of twelve year olds were thrown into a death match against a bunch of older, stronger tributes. It wasn't fair at all.

As Aspen's face faded away, yet _another_ face shimmered into view. Haven's heart beat quickened as the boy from Eight, Rory, appeared in the night sky. What had he missed today? Just how many people had died? Haven looked quizzically into the sky as Rory's reflection looked right back at him. He didn't really remember this boy that well from training since he kept such a low profile. He knew that he was initially allied with Sully, but he wondered what had happened between them. He wondered if they had stayed together until the end or not. He hadn't seen either of them this whole time.

After that, the anthem faded away and the sky grew dark again. Haven began to reposition himself in a more comfortable position when a shocking realization hit him. That was four dead tributes in one day. That meant there wasn't six of them left anymore, there were two.

Haven's heart banged wildly against his chest. The finale. It had begun.

It had begun the moment the the twenty second tribute had died. That meant there was one last competitor left for Haven to face. There was one more enemy left in the arena.

There was another tribute somewhere in this arena thinking the same thing right now and that sent a chill up Haven's spine. There was someone out there who would be going directly for Haven this time. There were no more tributes to distract that person anymore from the true competitor. The capitol finally had there final two.

It was him and Lucius Kramer.

In his realization, Haven heard a quiet bell ringing from somewhere in the night sky. He instantly turned his head around towards the noise and tried to make out what it was. He caught a glimpse of silver drifting toward him and his heart fluttered in his chest. A parachute!

As the parachute floated closer towards him, Haven saw that there was something attached to it. Something long and something heavy. Haven reached out and caught the gift by it's handle and brought it into his lap.

Almost immediately, Haven realized it was a hammer. It was built out of heavy silver steel with a long, smooth wooden hilt attached to it. He ran his finger up the weapon, feeling completely in awe. Someone out there had bought this for him. Someone out there had sponsored him once again.

Haven's hand slipped along a small note attached to it and he unfolded it carefully.

_You know what to do with this. Good luck, kid._

Haven felt the corners of his lips turn up slightly, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips as he read the short note. Someone wanted him to win.

Someone else was on his side.

* * *

As the sun rose on the eleventh day in the arena, static crackled through the speakers in the amusement park.

Haven opened his sleepy eyes as a deep masculine voice spoke through the speakers. "Attention, final two tributes. Please meet at the cornucopia once you are ready so that the finale can take place. For your personally reference, it is located in the center of the arena next to the tall red roller coaster named The Typhoon. Thank you for your participation in this year's Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Haven rubbed his heavy eyes as he mentally repeated what the speaker had just said. Finale... Cornucopia... Participation... Something along those lines. He had said to meet at the cornucopia for the finale.

Haven let out a heavy sigh and opened his eyes again. It was time to get it over with. This was all he could tell himself. There was no more pushing it aside, it was time to meet this last tribute face to face. It was time to end this.

Right now.

Haven crawled down the side of The Tornado and planted his feet firmly on the ground. He took a deep breath, released it, and turned around. As he began to walk towards the cornucopia, he used the top of the tall red roller coaster that jutted into the sky as a guide.

He ventured through the arena for what would be the last time and really looked around at the place. So many things had happened in here, it was insane. Dried blood was splattered everywhere, a roller coaster had been eaten by flames, there had been an invasion of mutts, twenty two people were dead, and two were still alive... It was a lot. Every part of this arena contained some sort of memory for Haven.

It didn't take long to arrive at the cornucopia. It was actually pretty close by. As Haven stepped into the clearing, he looked around for the other tribute. He could feel his heart bang in his chest as he clutched his hammer tightly. He just hoped that this boy had the decency to fight a fair battle as opposed to just flinging a knife into his back while he was unprepared.

A sudden burst of adrenaline blurred the edges of Haven's vision as those fears were instantly eradicated from his mind.

On the opposite side of the clearing, the boy from District One melted out of the background in a blur. Haven blinked several times before his vision adjusted. About thirty feet in front of him was the other competitor. His final competitor.

The boy, Lucius Kramer, stepped forward. He looked like he had been to hell and back. His hands were splattered with dried blood, of whose, Haven did not know. He clutched a knife in his left hand, which was also coated in red. There was a cut sliced above his eyebrow, drying with blood. His scarlet hair was caught in the wound, making his bangs stick to his forehead. His whole body was plastered with sweat and his arms shined.

Hate surged through Haven's body. This was the boy who killed Cherry. This was his last enemy in the arena.

If Haven could kill Lithium, then he could kill Kramer.

* * *

On the other side of the clearing, Kramer watched the boy from Ten's neck tense up. It was almost tempting, in a sickening way, the way he could just take his knife and rake it across Haven's throat if he wanted to.

He could maul him like he mauled Velvet yesterday or he could just kill him quickly like he killed his ally back a couple weeks ago. He could do it, he really could. This was the only obstacle standing in the way of him seeing his brother again. This was the last battle he ever had to fight.

It was time for this to be over.

* * *

**R.I.P. Aspen and Velvet**

**Aspen was definitely a fan favorite and one of my favorites as well. He grew so much throughout the story and was such a cute character. He really went through the ringer in this arena and made it so far. He had such a good heart and was such a naive and likable little kid that it was really sad for me to write his death. I know you guys will miss him :( I'll miss him too.**

**Velvet... Okay so yeah, i know she was kind of the one you wanted to die and I know a lot of you won't be happy that she made it so far, but she was always meant to be third in my mind. The scene with her death was so climatic and intense, I had it pre written for months now. Perhaps she won't be missed as sorely as people like Rory and Freddie, but I liked writing her.**

**A/N: so who will it be- Kramer or Haven? Both of them have a pretty good chance, so this will definitely be EXCITING! I can't wait to reveal the victor, so the next update will be soon, very very soon. Tell me via review who you want to win and why! Til next time :)**

**Oh and one more thing, do you guys think I should make a blog for this story to post like pictures, quotes, etc on..? What are your thoughts on that?**


	35. The Victor

Viewing of the finale was mandatory across the nation. The whole country was on the edge of their seats, eyes glued to their televisions. There were viewing parties in the town squares of every district, but none were as intense as the ones in One and Ten. Either of them could be named the winning district in just a matter of minutes and it all depended on which of these boys reigned victorious.

In District One, Kramer's mom and little brother sat in front of their television set in their living room, fingers crossed. For Bentley, time seemed to stop and the only thing that mattered was his brother. His eyes were directly focused on the television and everything else was irrelevant. Kramer had to win. He was so close to victory. He had just had to pull through.

Down south in District Ten, Haven's family was gathered in the front of the town square with the rest of the district. The Hanovers didn't own a television set, so they had taken a long train ride to the city so that they could watch their son for the past two weeks. They had hired extra farm hands to tend to the animals while they were gone and had broken into their savings account so that they could afford a hotel for the past eleven days. Haven's brother, Christian, was standing with his friends, but they weren't talking. He was scared stiff for his brother, hoping that luck would be on his side for once.

The whole nation was silent and held their breath as the two boys stared each other down in the arena. The cameras panned in on each boy's face, catching their expressions from every angle. Haven was clearly shaking with fear, but he clutched onto his hammer tightly and narrowed his eyes in on the enemy. Next, the cameras zoomed in on Kramer's face. A glimpse of a smirk could be seen on his lips for a moment, but then he broke into a run.

In the capitol, cheers and hoots erupted throughout the city as Lucius Kramer lunged.

Cosmo Lavish could feel the whole city shake with excitement. No one got into the Hunger Games quite like the capitolites did, and this year was wilder than ever. Not one, but two fan favorites had made it all the way to the finale and the capitol was completely insane right now.

Throughout the chaos, Cosmo turned back towards the large screen in the broadcast building and watched Kramer barrel towards Haven.

Haven began to take a step backwards, but then he planted his feet firmly in the ground. No, he was done being afraid. It was time to brave. He had to face this last competitor head on if he wanted to win. He had to fight like he had never fought before.

As Kramer ran towards a him, knife in hand, Haven decided to meet him half way. He began to bolt towards his enemy and raised his hammer over his good shoulder.

When the two collided, there was an audible roar of cheers in the capitol. Haven smashed into Kramer with his side, sending the red haired boy stumbling backwards. Kramer quickly regained his balance though and steadied his feet without falling. But Haven didn't let him get a chance to recover. Wasting no time, he swung his hammer right into Kramer's gut, causing him to splutter and recoil in pain.

Haven's eyes widened. Never did he ever think he would have it in him to make such bold moves. A burst of adrenaline spiked his heart rate and he bodyslammed himself into Kramer. They both fell onto the ground, Haven landing on top of Kramer heavily.

Cosmo gasped. Haven was fighting him like a savage! He never knew this boy had that much fire in him.

The impact hurt, but Kramer was more aware of how shocked he was. He wasn't expecting Haven to come at him like that. He had always seen this District Ten boy as a scared little kid, not a real fighter. If Kramer wanted to beat him, he would have to step up his game now. He was already injured and they hadn't even been fighting for two minutes yet. Did he want to kill this boy? No, not really. But would he? Yes.

It was the only way to get out of this arena.

With a surge of strength, Kramer shoved Haven off from on top of him and tried to scramble to his feet, but the District Ten boy was quick and yanked his leg out from underneath him, causing him to stumble right back down.

Kramer kicked his leg free from Haven's grasp and fumbled for his knife. When he got a grip on it, he whipped it through the air and stabbed whatever part of Haven that was available.

As the blade sunk into his good arm, Haven cried out in pain and satisfaction flooded Kramer's system. He had weakened his competitor. The time to make a move was _now_.

Kramer ignored the throbbing in his stomach from where Haven had swung his hammer into him, and pinned Haven down by his hurt arm, causing the boy to grunt and squirm in pain.

Kramer crawled on top of him and jammed his knee into his gut to hold him down. He tried to force his knife into his throat, but suddenly a hard object smacked him in the head, causing him to stumble back.

SMACK!

The pain spread throughout his skull quickly and blurred his vision for a moment, but through the blurriness, he could see Haven's cast coming back at him a second time.

SMACK!

Haven swung his rock hard cast into Kramer's head again and while he was weak, Haven shoved him off.

Kramer's vision grew hazy and the throbbing in his head became more and more intense with every passing moment as he registered himself hitting the ground. Through his haze, he saw Haven's head enter his view and he didn't look very happy.

"Get off'a me." Kramer slurred as he tried to fight through the throbbing in his head. As his vision adjusted, he saw blood sloppily dripping down Haven's forearm and a hammer clutched in his hands.

Kramer numbly remembered that he couldn't give up now. This was the last battle. He had to overcome this pain and fight back no matter what. As his vision went back to normal, he narrowed his hazel eyes dangerously and pulled his lips back into a dark snarl. "Get. Off. Me."

Haven didn't reply, he just scoffed at him. With a surge of anger, Kramer brought his knife forward, but his competitor was too fast. Haven raised his hammer high above his head and brought it down on him with all of his might. An awful breaking sound sufficed as the hammer smashed into Kramer's collar.

The pain was instant and unbelievable.

Kramer let a choked cry of anguish and Haven backed off for a moment. _Gosh, that must have hurt!_, Haven thought with a cringe. He almost felt sorry for injuring him, but he knew he couldn't right now.

Haven glanced down at Kramer's broken collarbone and instantly felt sick. The bone was snapped in half and caved into his chest. The skin was already discolored and he could see blood bruises forming under the skin.

Haven became sidetracked with looking at the wound and that was his fatal mistake.

Kramer saw that he was distracted and decided to catch him off guard. As he yanked his knife out from under himself, he ended it once and for all.

With a sudden jerk of his hand, Kramer sent his knife flying forward and jammed it right into Haven's heart.

Haven's eyes flew open and he stumbled backwards suddenly. The world seemed to stop.

Kramer let go of the hilt of the knife and shrunk backwards as he truly made eye contact with Haven for the first time. Haven's blue eyes were wide with shock and frozen in an expression of realization. The look in the fourteen year old's eyes made Kramer's heart drop with a unbelievable kind of sorrow that he had never known before.

As Kramer looked from the knife sticking out of Haven's chest to his shocked blue eyes, he felt to say something. An apology, a goodbye, anything. He knew it was over now, but he didn't feel like it could be real.

Haven opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words would form. All he could manage was an audible choking sound as he fell backwards and hit the ground with a heavy thud.

BOOM!

* * *

Back in the capitol, Cosmo looked at his screen in disbelief. The final battle had just ended. It was amazing, and the silent exchange between the two tributes before Haven fell was so intense... so profound and sincere that he didn't know how to feel about it. Emotional.

The cameras in the arena were focused in on Kramer and a few tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked down at his fallen competitor.

Silence settled across the entire city as Cosmo reached for his microphone. The capitol was waiting for him to announce the victor.

"L-ladies and gentlemen." Cosmo began. His bold words echoed across the entire nation, which was completely silent. "I present to you, your victor of the Nineteenth Annual Hunger Games... Lucius Kramer!"

As Cosmo finished speaking, he heard the capitol burst into a deafening wave of applause and cheers. The whole city was in celebration. Confetti cannons exploded from outside the broadcast building and fireworks were being shot off in broad daylight. Cosmo looked out his window to see Kramer's profile shot flashing on the electronic billboards across the capitol with the caption "Victor of The Nineteenth Annual Hunger Games!" on it in red text.

Cosmo looked back to his television to see what was happening in the arena. The cameras were focused on Kramer as he heard the announcement. He wiped the tears off his cheeks with the back of his hand and closed his eyes for a moment. What he did next surprised even Cosmo. The boy simply broke down into tears.

And he didn't stop sobbing, even when the hovercraft came and removed him from the arena.

* * *

**R.I.P. Haven**

**Haven was just a farm boy from District Ten before he was reaped, but he went through so much character development and he definitely changed throughout the story. This kid went through hell in the arena- breaking his arm, losing all of his allies, making it all the way to the finale... This was the hardest death for me to write. Over the past few months I have gotten really attached to Haven and I am deeply saddened to let him go. But with that being said, he will go down in history as the runner up of this Hunger Games and will be known all over Panem for as long as the nation exists. He could have won and I know there were people who would have loved to see him do so, but he was always meant for second place.**

**A/N: So there you have it.**

**Okay, so here's a little secret- Kramer was always, ALWAYS, going to be the victor. He was the first character i created for this story and i knew straight from the gate that he was the one. Throughout the story, he got so many mixed reviews. Some of you liked him, some of you hated him, some of you thought he killed too many people. But if this were real life, there would be no kill limit or anything and in the end, it would come down to whoever was stronger and there would be no magical stroke of luck for the weak. After all, the hunger games IS basically survival of the fittest, right?**

**i chose him for a reason. Everyone back home hated him, shunned him, and sent him into the games thinking he would die and then they could just be done with him. No one treated him like a human being and no one ever tried to get to know him.. and now they are going to regret it. Not only is he coming back home, but he's coming back as a victor, which makes him more powerful and iconic than ever. He proved everyone wrong and is finally going to be reunited with his family again. Also, he is not someone who will crack under the pressure of the capitol, so it will be a nice change to have a victor that isn't a broken mess.**

**This has been the most emotional, heartbreaking, and wild Hunger Games yet and it is so strange to think that we have finally crowned our victor. There were so many twists and turns throughout this ride and it is finally over. Well, actually, no it's not over just quite yet. There is still a few more things to take care of before we complete this story. Kramer will be back in District One soon and the capitol interviews and victory tour is still yet to come. His epilogue will be posted soon and I can't wait to hear what you guys thought about the finale. Thank you so much for sticking around throughout this crazy ride and giving such great feedback.**

**Another A/N: i swear i intended to write this sooner, but i freaking sprained my ankle, had to go to the hospital like 500 times and all kinds of stupid stuff.**

**next update will be soon!**


	36. Homecoming

Kramer arrived back in the capitol in the late afternoon. As the hovercraft landed on the familiar roof of the Training Center, the medical team that accompanied him during the flight back wheeled him out of the hovercraft in a hospital bed. He was unconscious and heavily medicated already.

When Kramer got on the hovercraft, he threw a tantrum when they tried to hook him up to an IV and had to be knocked out by a needle within the first five minutes of takeoff.

After his outburst, Kramer remained unconscious for the duration of the flight back to the capitol, making it a lot easier for the doctors to treat him.

Once they got back to the capitol though, the real treatment began. Kramer immediately underwent surgery to fix his broken collarbone. After the surgeons set the bone, they injected it in specially designed microfibers that would quickly mend the break, making the healing process only about 48 hours. The advancement of the capitol was truly amazing. It was hard to believe such recovery could take place in such a short amount of time.

It was three entire days before Kramer regained consciousness though. During that period, the medical team in the capitol had been taking exceptional care of him, flushing out his system with fluids, pumping him full of medications, and erasing any signs of damage.

When he finally came back to his senses, Kramer registered a light breeze floating across his chest and his eyes fluttered open. He glanced down at his arm numbly and saw that it was heavy with tubes, dripping a light blue liquid into his IV. The last thing he remembered was punching a capitol man in the mouth on the hovercraft, and then everything turned black.

He wondered how long he had been out.

As he looked around the room, he realized that he was in the remake center. He recognized the stark white walls, and the cold and clinical atmosphere reminded him of the last time he was here.

Last time... It wasn't that long ago, was it? It had only been eleven days since he had been in the capitol, but it felt like an eternity to him. He wasn't gone for long. He knew that. It seemed like he was in the arena for months though.

It was so strange to reminisce on his time as a tribute. Just a few weeks ago, he was nothing more than another face among twenty three other kids. Now things were different. He was alone. He was a victor.

The door slowly opened and an avox walked in, carrying a pale green tray. Kramer blinked a few times as the avox set the tray down on the table next to his hospital bed. She pressed a button that extended the tabletop across the bed, making it easy for him to reach.

"Thanks." Kramer said roughly. As the word parted his lips, he closed his mouth abruptly. His voice felt weird, like he hadn't used it in a while. He began to panic, but then he realized that he _hadn't_ used it in a while. He was asleep for a long time.

The avox nodded and left promptly.

When the door clicked shut, Kramer looked down at his tray of food. In front of him was a bowl of chicken noodle soup, a roll and butter, and a glass of apple juice. It wasn't anything incredible, but he didn't complain. It was food. As he stretched his arm out to grab the spoon off the tray, he froze. _That's strange_, he thought suspiciously. Slowly, he raised his hand to his collarbone and touched it tentatively. No, he wasn't imagining it. The pain was really gone.

Kramer looked down at the rest of his body and saw that all of his scabs and wounds were gone as well. The pain in his stomach from where Haven had hit him with the hammer had ebbed and was nothing more than a dull ache now. There wasn't a flaw or cut on his body. Everything was good as new.

As he slipped his legs off the bed and stood up, he was happy to see that they were strong enough to support him. How was this possible? When he left the arena he was nothing short of maimed.

He was about to begin walking around when the door opened again. Kramer turned his head and saw his mentor, Kendra, standing in the doorframe.

"I see you're recovering just fine." She said blatantly as she flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Kramer nodded. Kendra was a typical District One victor in terms of appearance. She was tall and slim with long blonde hair and light blue eyes. Her facial features were very sharp, from her nose to her cheekbones to the shape of her eyes. Everything about her was very precise and impressive.

Kendra was about twenty eight years old and was famously known as the victor of the Ninth Hunger Games. She had won her games in a way that not many people did. She played an honest game. No lying, no backstabbing, no killing her allies in their sleep. She stuck with her career pack until they gradually died off on their own. Then, when her and the girl from Four were the only two careers left, they decided to stay together and hunt down the other two tributes as a team. Eventually, her ally died in a fight in the final three by the hands of the last outer district competitor. Given an extra surge of strength in that moment, Kendra was able to overpower the last tribute and reign victorious.

She was one of the most respected victors in Panem for playing such a clean game. Kramer remembered hearing about her a lot back at home. She was very famous.

"Why are you here." Kramer asked flatly, sounding a little ruder than her intended.

Kendra just smirked and motioned him to sit down on his bed. "Well, the doctors have informed us that your recovery period is over and you're all ready to attend the victory interview. Speaking of which, is scheduled for tonight." Kendra said evenly as she studied the new victor for an expression.

Kramer felt his posture go rigid as he sat down. Tonight? He hadn't even been awake for a whole hour yet. How would he have time to collect himself before being broadcasted to the entire nation? Kramer began to panic, but Kendra sensed this.

"I know, I know, it's pretty sudden. But you've been out for three entire days and the capitol is practically rioting to hear from you. We tried to get you some extra time, but President Snow just wouldn't have it." Kendra informed him. "We've still got three or four hours before the interview begins though, so they called me up her to escort you over to hair and makeup."

Kramer relaxed his shoulders and he forced himself to take a deep breath. Three or four hours. That was enough time. He surely didn't need another whole day to collect his thoughts. He had always been a good on the spot thinker as it was. Yeah, three or four hours would be enough time.

Kramer's face softened and he nodded. "Alright, I can do that." He said slowly. "That's fine."

Kendra nodded, leaning against the doorframe, smiling. "Fantastic."

As the two District One natives walked down the bleak hallway, all was silent except for the sounds of their footsteps against the marble floor. In the distance, Kramer could hear squeals and quick high pitched voices talking all at once. He recognized them immediately.

"Is that my prep team? Where are they?" Kramer asked curiously, feeling surprisingly excited at the thought of seeing his colorful stylists once again.

Kendra nodded ahead. "Just around the corner, outside." She said as she motioned to the door at the end of the hallway. "We're leaving the remake center immediately once we get outside though, so make your hellos quick. I'm sorry that we're a bit short on time to greet each other, but we just don't have time to dilly dally around."

Kramer shrugged as he glanced ahead. "Where are we going?"

"To the back stage of the auditorium so your prep team can work on your hair and makeup before the interview. That way, we'll already be in the building when Cosmo is ready to start. There's a car waiting outside to take us over there now." She said as they approached the end of the hallway.

Kendra reached forward and opened the door at the end of the hallway and Kramer was immediately nearly blinded by bright sunshine. As his eyes adjusted, his ears also adjusted to the instant squawks and screams of his elated prep team as they saw him. They all tried to embrace him at once, dancing around him, attempting to hug and squeeze him in excitement. From Kramer's view point, it was a tornado of bright colors, sequins, and feathers all around him, swarming madly. They were all congratulating him on his victorious win and telling him how fantastic he looked.

"Ah, but you'll be looking even better once we're done with you!" A member of his prep team, Maximus, clapped excitedly. The rest of the stylists burst into another round of loud babbling before Kendra quieted them down.

"Have you four forgotten what a tight schedule we're on? Let's get going!" Kendra commanded as she guided them down to the shiny, black car waiting for them on the curb.

As the six of them piled into the car, the driver revved up the engine and began to drive them to their destination. Kramer was the last to get in, so he got the window seat. As the capitol landscape passed by, he saw his face on billboards all over the city. His prep team was trying to conversate with him, but he just ignored them, nodding every now and then to pretend that he was paying attention. The city was just as huge and magnificent as he remembered it being. As he admired the passing city, his eyes occasionally caught a poster or banner with a tribute's face on it. Most of them were of him, but when he saw a poster in the corner of a cafe's window with Aspen's little face on it, his heart dropped into his stomach.

This was the first his ally had even crossed his mind since the games.

The next few hours went by in a blur as Kramer arrived backstage to the theater. He was never too interested in hair and makeup in the first place, so his prep team's cosmetic advice fell deaf to his ears as they worked on him. As he was thinking about it, he realized that he had four stylists for a reason. One was for hair, one was for makeup, one was for nails, and the other was for his outfits. He guessed this was why they were called a prep team. They all worked together to make him look good.

Of course, the outfit stylist was the one that lead the pack though. Her name was Sunday. She oversaw the process of Kramer's transformation and gave the commands to the other three.

After a few hours, Kramer's prep team had worked their magic on him and spun around his chair to face the mirror.

"Ta da!" One of them cried as Kramer looked at himself in the mirror for the first time.

His blood red hair had been re-dyed a darker, richer shade of crimson and was combed back neatly, revealing his familiar hazel eyes and facial features. He wasn't wearing much makeup, except for a bit of contouring and concealing here and there that enhanced his natural bone structure.

He looked more masculine than he remembered. More intimidating.

"Looks good?" Maximus asked with a proud smile on his face.

Kramer shrugged. "Yeah, it's cool. What outfit have you got me in, Sunday?" He asked his stylist as he turned around, noticing she was holding something behind her back.

Sunday smiled and revealed the costume from behind her back. "I think this is going to be your best outfit yet, Lucius."

From behind her back, Sunday revealed his attire with a smile on her face. On the hanger, she held a tuxedo that shimmered like a million tiny blue sapphires. It was a deep shade of midnight blue that looked very expensive and incredibly stylish. In her other hand, Sunday held a pair of shiny black dress shoes.

"Wow..." Kramer drawled. "That's nice." He said as he reached out and touched the tux with his fingers. It felt like a million dollars in his hands.

Sunday bounced on the balls of her feet and clapped excitedly. "Oh gosh, I'm so thrilled that you like it, Lucius. I've never heard you compliment one of my outfits before!" She grinned happily.

Kramer smiled slightly and took the outfit from her outstretched hands. It felt very strange to be polite, but he felt like his prep team deserved it. He knew he would always be that rough, abrasive kid deep down, but for some odd reason, he felt at ease today. Like a calmer, more gentle version of himself. Maybe it was because there were still sedatives in his system. He didn't know.

Soon, Kramer was all dressed up and found himself standing on a metal platform directly under the theater's stage. Sunday told him that when Cosmo was ready to introduce him to the crowd, he would push a button on his chair that would rise him up.

The underground compartment Kramer stood in was dark and small, a tiny hidden room in this massive auditorium. He quickly found himself panicking.

His head was still half in the games and it instinctively made him worried that this whole underground room was a trap. That it was a trick to lure him in and then the capitol would lock him in here until he starved to death and died. The capitol had killed his father, what was stopping them from killing him as well?

Suddenly, Kramer heard the crowd above him roar in applause. He assumed Cosmo Lavish had just walked onstage. Confirming his suspicion, Cosmo's familiar loud voice boomed across the auditorium as he introduced himself to the crowd.

Before Kramer knew it, Cosmo was announcing _his_ name to the crowd and the metal plate lifted him onto the stage.

The first thing he registered was the screams and cheers as the capitolites laid eyes on him. He had never heard so much applause in his life. People were clapping, whistling, screaming, even chanting his name. The noise was absolutely deafening. The next thing he registered was the heat of the spotlights as they found him. As his eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the stage, he looked past them to see the crowd going wild. Not a single person was in their seat. They were all up, jumping and waving.

Kramer blinked a few times as the metal plate clicked into place and he regained his vision. The next thing he knew, Cosmo was at his side, shaking his hand vigorously.

"Mr. Lucius Kramer! It is a _pleasure _to see you again." Cosmo boomed with an elated grin. "You look spectacular!"

Kramer forced a small smile as Cosmo patted him on the back congratulatory. "Let's have a seat, shall we? We're all dying to hear from you!" He invited as he motioned Kramer into the seat across from him.

Kramer sat down and Cosmo was instantly talking again. "So, Lucius, how are you feeling? The last time we saw you, you were looking a little rough."

Kramer snorted before he could stop himself. "That's usually what happens when you're in the Hunger Games for two weeks." He said harshly.

Cosmo laughed fakely. "Very true, Lucius. Very true!" He smiled widely, recovering quickly.

The crowd also burst out in a wave of laughter, causing Kramer to look at them with one eyebrow raised. He didn't get what was so funny.

"Well, now that our greetings are aside, how about we dive into the actual topic of the interview? The recap." Cosmo said, getting right down to business.

Kramer nodded and re positioned himself in the chair. "Let's do it."

And with that, the lights in the auditorium dimmed and a large television screen crackled to life in front of them.

The first thing to be shown was the reapings. Kramer watched as a skyline view of his home appeared onscreen with the words "District One" in the corner in black text. Next, the cameras panned in on Velvet as she volunteered and ran towards the stage. Even now, Kramer rolled his eyes at her.

Then it was his turn and Kramer watched his own reaction as his name got called.

He remembered exactly how he felt in that moment. Angry, betrayed, disgusted. He wasn't supposed to be a tribute this year. He was supposed to be replaced by the volunteer, Chastin, but he backed down at the last second and let him get reaped instead. Kramer could feel hatred rise in his chest as he watched his expression change to one of realization when the escort asked for volunteers. No one volunteered for him. Why would they? This was the perfect time to get the district crazy out of their lives. They thought they could just send him into the Hunger Games and be done with him.

Kramer smirked as he watched himself give his own district the finger.

Next, they briefly covered the reapings of Jude and Knives in District Two. Kramer tried to choke down a laugh when he saw a clip of Knives wiping out on the stage, followed by Jude walking up the steps, as cold and uptight as ever.

Then, the cameras went right to District Three and showed Lithium volunteering. She looked questionable with her arms cuffed behind her back and several cuts all over her body. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Lithium the entire time he was in the arena. He found himself wondering about her.

Then, the cameras briefly covered Freddie's drugged up reaping and Kramer watched him slam into the base of the stage and topple over. He began to laugh out loud, but then the clip of Aspen's reaping appeared onscreen and his laughter was cut off abruptly. Kramer watched as Aspen hurried onto the stage with wide, innocent eyes and smile when he shook Petunia's hand.

Sadness weighed heavily on Kramer's heart as he saw Aspen's familiar face on the screen. He had forgotten little things about his ally, like his dimples when he smiled and the round shape of his face. Being bombarded with these memories made him immensely upset. Kramer watched his own reaction in a small box in the corner of the screen, the sadness reflected in his eyes.

Next, brief clips of Rory and Lorelei's reapings were shown. Rory's sister actually tried to pry the peacekeepers off of him as he was being taken away. Her attempts were futile though and he was taken to the stage. Lorelei's reaping was simple and forgettable. She walked up to the stage without any problems.

Next, Haven's face was shown as he flung the peacekeepers off of him as they tried to remove him from the crowd. He spat some ignorant comment at them as he stormed onto the stage and Kramer was taken aback. This wasn't the Haven he had seen in the arena. This one had more fire and more tenacity. He remembered Haven being a little wimp.

The next part of the video montage was the pre-games events, like the chariot rides, the training scores, and the interviews. Kramer was curt and rude in his interview. giving very little detail. It was only when he spoke of his brother did the capitol feel like they were getting to know him a little bit.

Next, they skipped right to the bloodbath. The cameras panned in on each of the tributes for an expression during the countdown. Jude looked confident, Raegan looked cocky, and Lyle and Teddy looked like they were about to be sick. Then, the gong rang and all hell broke lose. Kramer watched himself bolt for the cornucopia and yank supplies out of all directions, knives included.

Then came the kills. Flora was the first to fall, then Teddy, then Adelaide. Next, the cameras focused in on Sully and Kramer's all out brawl. Sully was about to escape when Kramer knifed him in the back. Kramer winced slightly as he watched himself get right back up like nothing had ever happened. He then went flying in Raegan's direction when he spotted him chasing the two children from Seven. When Kramer's knife found his neck, Raegan hit the ground, dead, and that was when Kramer decided that his work was done in the bloodbath. Aspen and Petunia tried to follow him into the west wing of the park, but he told them not to. Looking back now, Kramer wondered how differently things would have turned out if he would have let them come with him.

Next, the bloodbath that he had never seen before came to life on the television. Lyle was still sitting on his plate when Knives snuck up from behind him and put the knife to his neck. She apologized to him before slitting his throat and Kramer's eyes widened. He didn't know whether or not she killed anyone. Apparently she did. Next came the part that really surprised him. The cameras cut to a clip of Lithium backing the boy from Six up against the cornucopia, taunting his name.

_Did she... _Kramer began to think, suspecting the worst. His suspicions were proven correct when she plunged her knife right into Ike's chest, killing him on the spot. Little did he know though, this was only the beginning of Lithium's reign of terror in the arena.

After that, the bloodbath ended and the careers gathered together to prepare for a hunt. It was so strange to see things from the careers' point of view. Kramer had always been opposed to them, but he did have to admit that it was fascinating to see them in action.

Next, Talulah's death came by Salome's hands in the morning. It was a horrible thing to watch as the girl suffocated in her own blood, but Kramer knew the deaths to come were going to be far worse. In the same day, Haven fell off a roller coaster and broke his arm.

Later that night came Kramer's first run in with the Haven alliance. Cherry said the wrong thing to him and ended up with a knife in her skull. The montage editors didn't show Kramer running away though, they just skipped to the scene where Lithium killed Salome. He guessed they wanted to portray him as a bad ass, not someone who ran away when he was outnumbered.

"That was an amazing kill!" Cosmo congratulated him, slamming his hand on his back.

Kramer nodded, but didn't really accept his compliment. Killing people wasn't amazing. He knew that now.

After Salome's death, Kramer decided that Lithium really was the antagonist of this year's games. He couldn't believe that he didn't cross her path at least once in there. Deep down, he was glad that he didn't. He wondered what her other kills would be like. They seemed to get progressively worse and worse.

In the same day, Lithium found Cain and dragged him into an alliance with her. Kramer leaned back in his chair and grimaced. _This one can't end well, _He thought to himself.

The next death was pretty surprising though. Kramer remembered Aspen telling him that he had killed Marina, but actually seeing her death play out was pretty unreal. When the careers found Aspen and Petunia, they began to chase them down the tracks of the big wooden roller coaster and Aspen panicked and pressed a button on the ride that sent the carts flying forward, running over Marina.

BOOM! Another one dead.

The next morning, the careers split up and Velvet set out on her own. It was easy to see that she was furious about being kicked out of the alliance and she took her anger out on the poor little girl from District Six. After her death, the cameras swept across the arena and focused in on Rory as he listened closely to the big stone wall. All the color drained from his face when he realized what was behind it and he began to run. Kramer looked at the screen, puzzled. _How did he know what was behind there?_

His question was left unanswered though as they cut to a clip of Knives and Jude bonding. Kramer recognized this scene and shrunk into his chair as he watched himself come up from behind and kill Knives. Jude came running as soon as he heard her scream, but it was too late. Kramer had taken off running and Jude decided against chasing him. He watched Jude cry for his ally and go into a total meltdown.

Before Kramer could feel too guilty though, the scene switched to Rory and Freddie pairing up and Rory revealing the secret about the zombies to him. It was still a mystery to him though how Rory knew about them. Then, Haven and Lorelei uncovered the secret of the backwards clock and the groaning behind the wall and it all made sense suddenly. The zombies would come out when the clock hit midnight.

Next, Velvet killed Petunia and Kramer looked at the screen hatefully. God, Velvet was a villain. He knew in the end, he racked up more kills than her, but she was actually enjoying killing little kids. Kramer on the other hand, was not.

The next morning, Lithium finally snapped and absolutely mutilated Cain. Kramer's mouth fell open as she crouched over his dead body and ripped open his stomach and dug her hands inside, pulling out his intestines and vital organs wildly.

"What. The. Fuck." Kramer mouthed as he watched her eat Cain's guts. He had already labeled her as an antagonist, but a _cannibal? _No, no, no, that was just unbelievable. Watching the recap, he was now incredibly relieved that he hadn't come across that girl in the arena. She could have demolished him.

"I hope you don't have a weak stomach." Cosmo warned playfully, causing Kramer to look at him like he had a second head.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" Kramer replied, traumatized.

The crowd began to laugh in good nature and at this point, all Kramer could do was shake his head at them.

The next scene was the one of Jude's death and Kramer instantly felt his stomach drop. This was one memory of the games that he did not want to remember. The cameras zoomed in on Jude as he asked Kramer to just kill him. Kramer closed his eyes as the scene of him plunging his knife into Jude's heart played out, He didn't want to remember him like that.

The next clip warmed his heart a little though. He watched as Aspen approached him and asked to be his ally. In retrospect, Kramer was so happy that he said yes. It was only for a few days, but getting to know Aspen had been one of his fondest memories in the arena. It hurt to see his face, but he would always remember what a great kid he was.

The next scene was another sad one. As Lithium fought Haven and Lorelei, it was hard to believe how quick she overpowered them both. She was about to kill Haven, when Lorelei came out of nowhere and took the sharp end of the knife instead. Realizing she was weaponless, Lithium ran and left Haven to try to revive his ally. In the end though, Lorelei died from blood loss. After a first and last kiss, Lorelei's cannon boomed and Haven became ally-less for the first time.

The cameras then went right to Haven hunting down Lithium. He even began taunting her name as he searched for her. Finally, he found her and they ended up having one of the most glorious battles Kramer had ever seen. When Haven shoved Lithium in front of the moving train, Kramer felt oddly satisfied at her death. He wanted to begin rooting for Haven, but he quickly remembered who ended up killing him.

Rory and Freddie set out that night in search for shelter and were wandering through the park when the sound of a grandfather clock rang three times. They turned around to find the wall crumbling down and the zombies emerging from the rubble. They quickly began to run and climb up the side of a roller coaster. Freddie made it away, but the same couldn't be said for Rory. The crowd winced as Rory was torn to shreds by the zombies.

The next scene was of Kramer lighting the hoard of zombies on fire, along with the wooden roller coaster, at Freddie's expense. At the time, he had no idea who that cannon had belonged to, but when he saw that it was Freddie's, his heart dropped a little.

Then, the feast was announced and Kramer prepared himself for the upcoming scene. Him and Aspen were sponsored a vial of poison and when they arrived at the cornucopia, Kramer put it to use. After Aspen was killed by Velvet, Kramer went insanely sadistic on her and dumped the vial of poison down her throat. He wasn't done with her yet though. He proceeded to slice her up and torture her until she died. Watching this back now, Kramer expected to feel a little bit of remorse for what he did to her, but to his surprise, he didn't.

The next scene was of him and Haven's final battle. They had a little stare off in the beginning, and then Kramer lunged. From a outsider's point of view, it might have looked like Haven had the upper hand in the battle as they fought. And he did, until Kramer suddenly jammed his knife into his chest and killed him.

The last and final cannon rang out across the arena and all was silent before Cosmo announced Kramer's victory. "The victor of the Nineteenth Annual Hunger Games, Lucius Kramer!" Cosmo's familiar words boomed.

The last scene was a short clip of Kramer crying his eyes out as he was taken out of the arena by the hovercraft, bloody and broken.

Finally, the credits rolled and then the screen faded to black.

As the lights in the auditorium came back on, everyone in the stands became to clap in unison. Cosmo laughed in good nature as he let them settle down. As the capitolites' clapping faded into the background, the focus returned to the interview.

"Now Lucius, after watching the recap of this year's games, how do you feel? Is there anything you saw here that you did not see before?" Cosmo asked attentively.

Kramer thought about his response for a moment. "Yeah. I think I was surprised by how much I missed out on. I thought I had experienced it all in there." He replied honestly.

Cosmo looked at him quizzically. "What ever do you mean?" He asked.

"Like all the fights and things I wasn't around for. I mean, I had no idea that Lithium was even a threat. Looking back, I can't believe I never even saw her in the arena. She was a monster in there. Same with the whole connection between the clock and the mutts. I didn't even think about that. There were a lot of factors I missed. I'm seeing a lot of this for the first time." He explained.

Cosmo nodded. "Ah, I understand. And how did it feel to watch all of that?" He asked.

Kramer shrugged. "Surprising definitely. Kind of cool, kind of sad. I don't know, a bit of everything." He said.

Cosmo nodded again. "Yes, yes. And now that you're the victor, how do you feel?" He asked.

Kramer opened his mouth, trying to think of a response, when Cosmo cut him off.

"Actually, don't tell me just yet! Let's talk about that tomorrow at our private interview. We're out of time right now as it is." Cosmo said, leaving the viewers hanging. "Is that alright with you, Lucius?"

Kramer nodded. "Totally." He said lightly.

Cosmo turned towards the cameras. "Well then, there you have it, folks! Tune in tomorrow at nine A.M. for my private interview with our new victor, where I will ask all of the personal questions you are _dying _to get answered." Cosmo said in a dramatic tone. "Good night, Panem."

After the cameras stopped rolling, Cosmo congratulated Kramer one more time and bid him farewell for the night. Kramer was then escorted off the stage so that Cosmo could begin filming his nightly talk show called "After Dark With Cosmo Lavish".

As he walked down the stage steps, Kendra embraced him in a hug. "Awesome job, Red!" She exclaimed proudly. Red was a little nickname she had come up for Kramer during hair and makeup earlier. Kramer didn't ask, but he was sure it was because of his hair. "Your reactions were priceless!"

Kramer broke off the hug and laughed nervously. "Thanks."

"Well anyways, there are a few people outside _begging_ to take a picture with you, so if you're okay with it, we can go out there now." Kendra said.

Kramer shrugged. "Kay." He said simply, feeling tired.

With that, Kramer followed his mentor out the back door and outside. Before he could even take a breath of the chilly night air, the flashes of the paparazzi cameras nearly blinded him. As he looked around, he realized that there was a flood of people surrounding the limo, screaming his name and wearing shirts with his face on them. _A few people? This is the size of a small nation! _He thought through the madness.

"You can just sign a few things and then get in the car." Kendra said in his ear, talking over the screams.

Kramer looked out into the sea of people and shook his head. "Nah. You can go wait in the car if you want." He replied.

Kramer spent the next three hours signing merchandise, taking pictures with people, and talking with them. He didn't get into the car until he gave an autograph to everyone who asked for one. The chauffeur and Kendra were irritated, of course, but Kramer didn't mind. He did it because he _wanted _to.

Later, the limo dropped off Kramer, his mentor, and his prep team at the familiar tribute tower, where they would be spending the night. As he walked into the penthouse, he saw that everything was just as it had been the first time he had been here. He said goodnight to his fellow colleagues and went into his bedroom. As he plopped down onto the bed, he let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. It had been a crazy ride.

And it wasn't over yet.

* * *

In the morning, Kramer was flung right into hair and makeup for his early interview at nine A.M. This time, his hairstyle was his typical bedhead. He was dressed in a pale yellow button down with short sleeves and white denim jeans. Sunday had opted for him to wear a pair of fancy shoes, but Kramer decided to wear a simple pair of black sneakers instead.

As Kramer walked onto the filming set, he saw that Cosmo Lavish was already there, chatting with one of the producers. They were set to begin filming in exactly three minutes.`There was two chairs leaning towards each other and a little table in the background with a vase of yellow flowers on it. The set today was very simple, but nice.

As Cosmo saw Kramer from the corner of his eye, he smiled widely and waved him over.

Kramer walked across the set and Cosmo greeted him enthusiastically and motioned him to sit down. As he sat down across from Cosmo, he fell into the comfortable white armchair.

"Are you nervous for today?" Cosmo asked him.

Kramer shook his head. "Nah. It's just an interview." He shrugged it off.

Cosmo sighed. "Oh fantastic. The other victors I've had were usually really nervous. It will be nice to have one who's not!" He smiled.

Kramer nodded in response. Before he knew it, a cameraman was counting backwards from five and they were being broadcast live to the entire country.

"Good morning, Panem. Here with me today is out newest Hunger Games victor, Lucius Kramer!" Cosmo said jovially as he swept his arm towards Kramer, queuing him to wave to the cameras.

"So Lucius, let's jump right in." Cosmo said as he got comfortable in his seat. "Tell me, how does it feel to be a _victor? _It's something not many people can say they have accomplished."

Kramer nodded, taking in his question. "It feels... bittersweet. Being in the Hunger Games is a very traumatic and scarring experience, but knowing that I'm gonna get to go home after this? Man, I can't even think of a word to describe it. I'm excited." He explained truthfully.

Cosmo smiled. "And I'm extremely excited for you as well! I know you're very close with your brother and mother. What do you think it will be like to see them again?" Cosmo asked.

Kramer let out a sigh. "I don't even know. I'm looking forward to it, I'll tell you that much. When I said my goodbyes to them in the justice room, I didn't know if I would be coming back or not. Now I _know _that I'm coming home and I feel good." He said, looking forward to seeing Bentley and his mom soon.

"Well I'm glad to inform you that you'll be heading back to District One on the train after this interview is over." Cosmo said happily.

Kramer nodded and a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "Yeah, I know. Today's going to be pretty crazy."

Moving on, Cosmo began to ask questions about the games, but Kramer's mind was still stuck on home. He couldn't wait to see his brother's face when he got home. Surely, he had been worried about him.

The rest of the interview went by smoothly. Kramer briefly talked about some of his fellow tributes and the stunts he pulled in the arena. He began to get a bit upset when Cosmo asked him about Aspen and decided not to go into detail about his time with him. It just wasn't something he was ready to talk about yet.

The interview ended on a good note, with Cosmo making a lighthearted joke about how Kramer was on a roller coaster of emotions through this year's Hunger Games.

When the cameras stopped rolling, Kramer bid Cosmo farewell.

"It's been a real pleasure speaking to you today. I know that victory can be rough though. If you ever need anything, give me a call, alright?" Cosmo said sincerely as he shook Kramer's hand.

Kramer nodded. "Thanks Cosmo. I'll keep that in mind."

With that, Kramer was escorted out of the building and into the train station. Before he stepped onto the train, he took one last look at the capitol. It stood as tall and as grand as ever under the light blue sky. Against his better judgement, he had actually grown to enjoy the city.

"All aboard, sir." The train conductor said politely, reminding him to get on.

Kramer stepped inside the train and the doors behind him sealed shut. As he sat down in a chair, he noticed that his mentor and escort were aboard as well. They were also joined by a few other District One victors. It was a full house.

The train ride went by quickly. District One was the closest district to the capitol, so it wasn't surprising when they pulled into the train station in only a matter of hours. Kramer felt adrenaline flood his system as the train pulled up behind an outdoor stage. He assumed this was where he would greet his district.

_Greet my district, _Kramer snorted to himself as people began to exit the train and the applause began to start. District One had treated him like garbage before he was a victor. He wasn't here to greet _them. _He was here for his family. The rest of the district could jump in a lake for all he cared.

Finally, it was his turn to exit the train. As he stepped off, he was guided towards a few steps behind the stage. He stepped up them quickly and walked onto the stage in front of his district. Their cheers grew significantly louder when they saw him. People were clapping and hooting, pretending that they had never shunned him. Kramer wanted to give them the middle finger again, but he found himself beginning to wave instead. He was hesitant, but he followed Kendra and Arietty's lead and raised his hand into the air.

He was only beginning to wave though when he saw the familiar faces of his mother and little brother in the front row, clapping for him. Before he even knew what he was doing, Kramer was leaping off the stage and running right into the arms of his family.

To actually hug them was the best feeling in the world. He could feel his mom crying into his shoulder and could hear Bentley telling him how much he missed him.

"I knew you could do it, Lucius! I told you!" Bentley cried to his brother.

Kramer smiled as he cherished this moment with his family, never wanting to let go of them again.

**A/N: woooaaaah crazy long chapter. we're not done yet, though! there's still about two chapters left before the story is complete. anyways the link to the blog is on my profile now, so be sure to check it out!**


	37. Aftermath

After winning the Hunger Games, Kramer and his small family moved into the victor's village, alongside the other four District One victors. It was a nice and secluded neighborhood, away from all the noise of the district. Kramer's new home was a monstrously big mansion with a deck and a huge outdoor pool. The insides of it were furnished with expensive furniture and decor that might have cost just as much as the house itself. And even after living there for six entire months, there were still doors that hadn't been opened yet.

The rest of the neighborhood was just as good. Only, the victor's village wasn't just a neighborhood though, it was truly an entire _village. _The houses were all placed around a big park that had everything from the swings and slides, to a large track that lined the circumference of it. There was a little stone pond in the middle of the park too that was very quiet and tranquil. Kramer often visited it to clear his head. Bentley liked the park as well and often dragged his older brother there to play.

Beyond the park and houses, lied a magnificent group of rolling hills and mountain scenery. There was a vineyard in the outskirts of it, as well as the community garden. There were many other little attractions of the victor's village, but Kramer hadn't taken the time to see them yet.

He had four other neighbors that lived near him. There was Kendra and her fiancee, Marco, in the house furthest from their's. Then there was Dominic, who wasn't much older than Kramer himself. Dominic was about nineteen or twenty and had won the sixteenth Hunger Games a few years ago. Kramer had remembered watching his games back when he was thirteen, before his big incident. Dominic, surprisingly, wasn't a career either. He did volunteer, but after getting into an altercation with one of the careers during training, he decided to ditch them all and go into the arena by himself. At first, he struggled to adapt to the abandoned city arena all alone, but after being sponsored a short sword from the capitol, he really became the one to beat. He started to wipe out competitors left and right and before too long, it was him and the boy from Two in the finale. Dominic eventually sliced his head clean off his body and won the entire thing.

It was one of the most exciting games District One ever had.

In the six months that Kramer had lived in the victor's village, Dominic had become his closest friend. The more time they spent together, the better friends they became. It was one of the nicer adjustments of victory. Having someone to lean on was always good.

The other victors names were Sienna and Cam. Sienna was around Kendra's age and had two kids. She was tall and pretty with long brown hair and cognac brown eyes. Her kids were still young, still naive, and oblivious to the horrors of the games. The oldest was barely five years old yet. It upset Kramer to see two innocent children who's futures were that of being victimized to a corrupted government. Even if they were victor's kids, they could still be reaped.

Cam was a bit more broken from his games than the others were. He won by killing nearly half the tributes and it had haunted him ever since. He wasn't even thirty five yet and he had already experienced his fair share of bad. He didn't leave his house much and when he did, it wasn't for long. He was a good looking guy, but years of guilt and sadness just does something to a man. Kramer had learned though, from talking with him, that he was very wise. Kramer often visited him to have good conversations. Cam, too, seemed a bit better after Kramer came around.

Whenever Kramer did go out into the District though, it was irritating. People always flocked to him like birds, pretending that they had never bad mouthed him or ostracized him before he won. His usual pose when the paparazzi came around was the middle finger, but they usually blurred it out when they put his picture in magazines.

Soon, the chilly month of November arrived and preparation for the victory tour ate up most of his time. His prep team rolled up to his mansion in a sleek black car and burst out of it's doors in leaping jumps, squeals, and shrieks that could surely be heard across the entire district. The day had finally come.

They ran into his house like they lived there themselves and engulfed his mom and little brother in hugs. As Kramer walked down the staircase to meet them, he could only hear the beginnings and ends of their sentences, loud and jumbled.

"You look amazing..."

"...the cutest victor's brother in history!"

"I am so excited for this tour..."

"...Oh no, _you _look even better!"

There conversations were cut short though when they laid eyes on Kramer. As his prep team saw him, they screamed in delight and bombarded him with greetings. They were all talking so fast that Kramer could only nod and pretend he knew what they were saying. The only thing that caught his ears was the words "the train is leaving tonight at seven." and that meant he only had about six hours left with his family.

His prep team quickly rushed him upstairs, where they flung him into a chair and began to work on him. Maximus and Celeste went on and on about how incredible the Nineteenth games were and how thrilled the capitol was for the victory tour as they scrubbed him clean and massaged some candy smelling goo into his hair. As they did every time they saw him, they re-dyed his hair back to it's iconic blood red color and gave him a small trim to keep his hair from looking shaggy. By the time they were done with him, the sun was going down and it was nearly time to leave.

Soon, Kramer's hair was shiny, soft, and a little spiked in the front, and his face was scrubbed free of any dirt or imperfections. He only got to look at himself in the mirror briefly before being whisked downstairs to say goodbye to his family, but he knew he looked clean as a whistle.

Sunday made the goodbyes quick because the first district they were visiting was Twelve, which was the furthest away. Kramer only had time to hug his mom and brother farewell and say a few parting words before leaving them.

Kramer knew that this trip was only going to be about a week long, but nowadays, whenever he had to leave his family anymore, it reminded him of being tossed into the Hunger Games again. It never felt safe.

Before he knew it, he was being boarded onto the train and departing District One for the overnight trip to Twelve. As the train began to move, Kramer settled next to the window and looked at the passing scenery until he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

When morning broke, Kramer was waken up by an avox. The prep part today was relatively quick, and before he knew it, he was being whisked up onto the stage to face District Twelve.

District Twelve. It was even more dilapidated in person. As Kramer looked out across the crowd, he was met with hollow eyes and ashen faces. Everyone here looked so beat down and defeated, he wondered how a charismatic boy like Sully came out of a place like this. He almost backed off the stage when he remembered that he was the one who killed Sully, but he kept his feet steady on the platform. His speech was brief and short as he talked about the two dead tributes. He knew there were a _lot_ of other districts where he would have to face the families of the people he killed. This was just the beginning.

He didn't know the girl, Adelaide, but seeing her little friend crying on the family's platform made him a bit upset. Adelaide didn't even make it past the bloodbath if he remembered correctly.

He avoided making eye contact with Sully's representatives though because there were about ten boys piled onto the platform alongside the family, glaring at him hatefully. He assumed they were his friends by the lack of resemblance, but that didn't make them any less significant. They all wanted to avenge their friend, Kramer could tell.

When Kramer was done with District Twelve's small amount of festivities, he boarded the train and made way to District Eleven. He was used to people hating him, but something about the look in those boys' eyes made him feel a little uneasy.

District Eleven was a little less abrasive, thankfully. Kramer had no hand in killing either Teddy or Talulah, so he didn't expect to make contact with anyone that wanted his head on a plate. Eleven was always a wildcard district though and while there were calm faces in the crowd, there were angry ones too. They wanted justice, you could tell by the look in their eyes. Eleven was by far the biggest district in Panem and they could probably start a riot if they wanted to.

Kramer continued with his speech and glanced at both Teddy and Talulah's families briefly. They were both two relatively quiet kids that Kramer never paid much attention to. They never struck him as rebels though, like Eleven was notorious for having. Teddy's sister and mother stood there, solemnly, his mother looking almost oddly somber though. There was obviously something off with her, but Kramer decided that it was none of his business. Talulah's family was seemingly normal though. Her parents stood up there tearfully, along with her little brother, who was crying more than anyone else.

Kramer didn't want to stay any longer up there than he was required to. He hated seeing kids cry.

The next district was one of the worst though. As he spoke in front of District Ten, he could almost feel the citizens rolling there eyes at him. They didn't care what he had to say, they wanted him gone already.

Haven had been _so close _to winning, but Kramer had killed him and took the crown instead.

Kramer even dared to look at Haven's family while he spoke and was granted with an angry glare from Haven's older brother, Christian. Haven's parents didn't glare though. They just avoided eye contact all together.

Lorelei's family gave him even more dirty looks than Haven's did, which initially surprised Kramer since he hadn't had anything to do with her death, but he soon realized that they would have been angry no matter who was standing up here. If it wasn't Lorelei, then they were mad.

He understood.

In District Nine, he was once again faced with the family of someone he killed. Cherry's parents stood there, apart from the crowd, crying into each others arms. They didn't even pretend that they were listening to him as he gave his speech. He remembered killing their daughter all too well. He wanted to add into his speech that it was all a freaking game for christ's sake and that they shouldn't be taking it so personally, but he knew that that probably wouldn't fly well with either the districts or the capitol. As he continued to speak though, he soon realized that even if it was a game, people still died, meaning that it wasn't really even a game in the first place. It _was_ personal.

Lyle's father was the only one who showed up for him though. He stood there, solitary, arms folded and nodding along slowly to what Kramer said as he reminisced on Lyle. Mr. Fitzpatrick was a strong man, he had to give him that. And now he was all alone.

The tour moved onto District Eight and Kramer gave the same speech. He hated looking at Flora's family of four little kids with no mother. Her two brothers and little sister looked at Kramer with stiff, cold expressions, but it was the youngest one who made Kramer's heart sink. He didn't cry, he just looked confused. Of course he was though. He was most likely no older than five, he probably didn't even know what the Hunger Games were yet. Kramer remembered killing Flora in the bloodbath. He didn't even bother to think that she might have a family at home waiting for her. In that moment, it didn't even matter. She was just another person in his way of victory.

Rory's parents and older sister stood next to them, a deliberate amount of peacekeepers surrounding their platform. Kramer assumed it was because they didn't want Rory's sister acting out anymore than she already had. He had remembered her stunt at the reapings. Even if it was kind of funny, it might have looked like rebellion to some people, and the capitol just couldn't have that.

Kramer didn't mind the festivities in Eight after his speech, but nobody seemed genuinely happy to be there. Maybe it was just because Kramer was so good at reading people, but he felt like everyone was being fake. He settled on just eating the food and talking with the mayor until it was time to go.

Kramer knew from the minute the train pulled into District Seven's station that it was gonna be the hardest stop on the tour.

And he was right. From the very moment he made eye contact with Aspen's family, he felt like crying. Aspen's parents, older brother and sister, along with his aunts, uncles, and cousin, Ash, were on the stage, reflecting the sadness that Kramer felt inside. Petunia's parents looked just as sad and stood there, clinging to each other.

Once again, Kramer felt the need to say something that wasn't on the script. Only this time, he acted on it.

He put the cards behind his back and sighed. "Okay." He said, taking a deep breath. "Aspen was my ally, we all know that... He was so much more than an ally though. He was my friend, and that's something that I don't say very often. Even though it's still upsetting, I think I owe it to you all to talk about him. He deserves to be remembered, a hell of a lot more than most people do." Kramer said as he wiped a tear of of his face. _Great, here come the __waterworks, _he thought dryly, but continued to speak. "He was a good kid, and I think he helped me keep my head on straight in there. I always saw so much of my brother in him and it made it really hard to let go of him when he died. Actually, I don't think I ever fully let go of him, and maybe I never will. I guess there are people that really leave a mark on you. Aspen was one of those people, for me and you alike." Kramer said.

After he spoke, the crowd was silent for a moment before Aspen's older cousin nodded and smiled sadly. That was all Kramer needed though. With that, he nodded, then turned and walked off the stage before they could see him cry.

District Six was easier to handle though since he didn't know either Ike or Wisteria. Neither of their families glared at him or shot him dirty looks. It was relieving, but he still felt sad. Wisteria's older brother looked like her, with the same white-blonde hair and light brown eyes. He looked very defeated. Ike's three little sisters on the other platform kept on wailing like he had died yesterday. It made it harder to make it through his speech, but Kramer didn't shush them. He didn't have it in him.

District Five also wasn't easy to visit. Freddie's mother and brother stood on the stage solemnly. His brother looked like he was about to cry, but his mother just looked ahead sternly. Kramer immediately noticed Freddie's boyfriend though, standing with the family. He kept wiping away tears as they came and looked completely broken. Salome's family was a little less emotional than Mitch however, making it easy to overlook them. Kramer remembered Salome though. Her famous last words were pretty unforgettable.

As the tour moved onto District Four, Kramer gave his speech briefly, only half paying attention. It was no secret that he and Raegan were enemies, and if it was, any confusion was cleared up when Kramer stabbed him in the throat during the bloodbath. He even had the nerve to glance at Raegan's mom and brother during his speech, expecting to see two haughty relatives of his, but he didn't. He saw a sad, tearful woman and a cold, distant boy. None of them appeared like Raegan had and it surprised Kramer.

Marina's parents and sister were just as sad as Raegan's mother. Kramer remembered Marina saying how she was going to win for her family during the interview, but now he guessed she never would. He understood her family's sadness wholeheartedly. Kramer had felt like that when his dad was killed by the capitol.

The celebration in District Four was one of the best though, despite the looming sadness in the air during his speech. The party was held on the beach and a buffet of seafood rested in the center of venue. There was a lot of blue decorations, music, and dancing. Kramer especially enjoyed the shrimp, but didn't like all the girls that kept trying to hit on him. They were everywhere, coming at him from all directions, making it a huge relief when he got on the train to leave that night.

They arrived in District Three in the morning, marking their sixth day on tour. District Three was vastly different from Four. Everything here felt artificial, calculated, and precise. The citizens here were mostly nerds and socially awkward smart people. A typical District Three stereotype. Cain's parents stood on the stage as nervously as Cain would have. His dad was a physically strong guy, but for some reason, he just looked downtrodden and tired.

Oh yeah, his son had just died.

No one showed up for Lithium though. Her family had disowned her and her friend, Henna, was still in jail. Kramer felt bad for the girl, even though she was dead now. She was such a character in this year's games, he was expecting a lot of people to be there to represent her. Seeing that no one showed up for her brought Kramer back to reality.

The last district stop on the tour was District Two. Kramer cringed when the train pulled into Two's station. He had single handedly killed both tributes from here and wasn't ready to face their district. To his surprise though, Jude's family didn't even look sad when they saw him. They just stood there coolly, as if they didn't even care what was going on around them.

Kramer raised his eyebrows at Jude's parents. He soon realized though, that they were just another fame thirsty career family. They didn't care about him. If he couldn't bring them victory, then he was useless. They disgusted Kramer and he refused to even look at them from that moment on.

He directed his focus to Knives' parents and twin brother. They showed hatred and hostility towards him, but at least it proved that they cared. They were angry that he had killed Knives, they loved her. It was better than the opposite. Knives' brother looked exactly like she did, with shorter hair though. Kramer felt like he was looking at her when he looked at Blades and it was a difficult thing to do. Those dark brown eyes were the same ones that Kramer had looked into before he slit Knives's throat.

After the ceremony in District Two was over, Kramer got back on the train and it took off into the night. They passed right through District One and onto the capitol. The last stop on the victory tour was President Snow's mansion for a congratulatory party.

When Kramer arrived in the capitol's train station, he felt good about what was ahead. Even though he didn't want to like it, it was nice to arrive somewhere where people wanted him.

Kramer was escorted to Snow's mansion by car and the minute he got out of the vehicle, the applause began. People from all angles were shouting and waving to him, crying out words of love and adoration. It brought a small smile to his face, making him temporarily forget how much people in the districts hated him.

As he made his way up the red carpeted steps, several people reached out to touch him. Everyone here was dressed like it was a fashion show. Satins, leathers, velvets, feathers, sequins, glitter... If you could think of it, they were probably wearing it.

Music was playing, fireworks were expolding in the night sky, and people were dancing and mingling. It was a very exciting atmosphere. Before the real fun could begin though, President Snow walked out onto the balcony and raised his glass to the new victor. The spotlights illuminated Snow's face as he brought the microphone to his puffy lips.

"Ladies, gentlemen, settle down please." His voice boomed across the mansion. The party guests stopped talking and the music faded into the background. Kramer was at the front of the crowd, looking at the president with a cool expression. He never did know what Snow thought of him. "We are here tonight to celebrate the victory of the infamous Lucius Kramer, winner of the Nineteenth Hunger Games." He said strongly. "And might I add, I have personally enjoyed these games a great deal. Lucius, congratulations."

Kramer felt like laughing. Of course a sadist like Snow had enjoyed this year's games. He would like anything that drove the districts further apart. Kramer kept himself from laughing though, and instead smiled at the president and nodded his head appreciativly.

After Snow's speech, the spotlight faded off of him and the music started back up again. Kramer was escorted inside by some capitolite doorman and the party began for him.

He was instantly drawn to the buffet, like usual. Food was spread out across several long tables, just calling to him. He knew there was no way he would be able to eat everything here, so he just decided to start at the table he liked the best and let the rest happen as it may.

He started at a table full of ocean creatures and tropical fruits. He tried the squid first, spit it out, and went on to the next delacacy. He quickly discovered that squids had a horrifyingly squishy texture that did not please him in the slightest.

He spent the first half hour eating foods and trying things with names he had never heard before. Capitolites asked him for a dance often, but he waved them off and went back to eating and drinking. He soon realized that he was being very rude and decided to accept a dance from the next person that asked him.

Kramer spent the remainder of the night dancing with multiple women and men and pretending to be interested in their small talk. Up close, the capitolites were even more peculiar looking. They had designs carved into their faces, gems surgically placed into their skin, their bodies were even dyed different colors. Kramer didn't know who had come up with the idea that this was attractive, but whoever it was must have been crazy.

Before he knew it, it was nearly one in the morning and the party was coming to a close. Guests were beginning to leave and the clean up crew was arriving. Kramer was being whisked away as well, when he turned around to see the president standing at the top of the staircase, looking directly at him. Snow was waving goodbye slowly, smiling as slyly as a fox.

Kramer almost waved back at him, but he turned his back instead, feeling uneasy. Snow was a weird dude and he didn't want to become too cordial with him. It was already strange enough that he hadn't come to visit him yet. But maybe he only came to visit the victors he had it out for.

Kramer got back in the limo and was driven to the train station, where he would begin his ride home. As he looked back at the passing capitol, he wondered what it would be like when he came back to mentor next year.

After all, it wouldn't be long at all until May came once again.

* * *

When Kramer arrived back home, he continued to live in the victors village with Bentley and his mom. At times he had deliberated just moving out of District One in general, but he knew he would miss the company of people like Dominic and Kendra. As annoying as it was to be associated with the career district, his friends kept him grounded.

Bentley went back to school and made a lot of new friends, and their mom took up a new job as a wedding event coordinator downtown. That left Kramer with a lot of freetime. He and Dominic tried taking up tennis lessons, but they failed miserably at it and the whole idea of tennis ended up becoming more of a joke to them than anything else.

Kramer was rather excited when he learned that Dominic would be mentoring alongside him for the Twentieth Hunger Games. He was not thrilled about being responsible for two new tributes, but having a friend there with him would definetly lighten the mood.

Back in the capitol, Kramer was still a trending topic even long after he won. It was unclear ro him why the capitolites adored him so much, but man did they adore him. He was possibly the most popular victor yet and his fanbase was one of the biggest.

He never lost himself in the fame though. Kramer had never been one to put material items over spiritual ones, and he always remembered the people he went into the games with. It was always a bit sad to relfect on the faces of those that had died in the arena, but he didn't let it overtake him. He took what had happened to him and learned from it. In the end, he became stronger and wiser than most ever did.

At the end of the day, he remembered what had made him fight so hard to win in that arena. It was his family. And he never lost sight of that. Being back in District One with them was an amazing feeling and every day he woke up with them safe and sound was a good one.

* * *

**A/N: HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEE. the next (and last) chapter will be posted tomorrow and then the story will be completed! omg it's so weird to say. AND YES, i am writing a sequel to this story (the 20th hunger games) and it will be starting this wednesday, september 3. thank you again for reading this thing and everything. it's always exciting to read reviews and see what you think about the chapters and stuff. here's a list of the tributes and their places.**

**1) Lucius Kramer**

**2) Haven Hanover- killed by Kramer**

**3) Velvet Forbes- killed by Kramer**

**4) Aspen Buckley- killed by Velvet**

**5) Freddie St. Clair- killed by fire  
**

**6) Rory Rivera- killed by zombies  
**

**7) Lithium Lumiere- killed by Haven  
**

**8) Lorelei Sykes- killed by Lithium  
**

**9) Jude Devereux- killed by Kramer  
**

**10) Cain Tesla- killed by Lithium  
**

**11) Petunia Barker- killed by Velvet  
**

**12) Knives Sinclair- killed by Kramer  
**

**13) Wisteria Cade- killed by Velvet  
**

**14) Marina Ophelius- killed by Aspen  
**

**15) Salome Bucks- killed by Lithium  
**

**16) Cherry Pavone- killed by Kramer  
**

**17) Talulah Cooper- killed by Salome  
**

**18) Ike Ladage- killed by Lithium  
**

**19) Lyle Fitzpatrick- killed by Knives  
**

**20) Raegan Pike- killed by Kramer  
**

**21) Sully McCormick- killed by Kramer  
**

**22) Adelaide Quick- killed by Velvet  
**

**23) Teddy Nelson- killed by Jude  
**

**24) Flora Costello- killed by Kramer**

* * *

**another A/N: AHHH i almost forgot! i have questions for you!**

**1\. top five favorite characters?**

**2\. favorite scene?**

**3\. favorite alliance?**

**4\. favorite (or most memorable) death?**

**5\. anything else, plus are you excited for the 20th?**

**the last chapter will be posted tomorrow! til then :)**


	38. Epilogue

After Velvet died in the games, her fellow students in the academy had a lot of remembrance memorials for her. After a while though, her old friends forgot about her and the only one who came to visit her grave every so often was Poppy.

Jude's parents recovered quickly from their son's death. They still had one child left who could bring them fame and fortune. After Jude's youngest brother volunteered several years later, he died a grisly death by the hands of a fellow career, and Jude's parents were officially out of luck. After many years, they finally realized that their selfishness had cost them three children in the end and they felt bad about it for the rest of their lives.

It took a long time for Knives' twin brother to fully accept that she was gone. His sister was his best friend and living without her would always be hard. He was successful at talking a few potential District Two volunteers out of volunteering though, so her death wasn't completely in vain.

Lithium went down in history as one of the most notorious District Three criminals of all time. After her stunt in the games, the peacekeepers were ordered to purge all of the jails to prevent another case like hers from happening in the near future. Henna died in a gas chamber with the rest of the prisoners that resided with her, courtesy of President Snow.

The kids that picked on Cain before he was reaped often visited his grave and spoke out loud to the slab of rock how guilty they felt for their behavior.

Marina's family grew closer as a result of her death. It never even crossed their minds to ask Oceana to volunteer like they had done with her older sister.

Raegan's death, if anything, was a reminder to future volunteers not to get too cocky. Some people remembered this, but of course, there were volunteers in the future who let it slip their mind, and most of them payed the price for it.

When Salome's friends saw her die on national television, they went to school the next day and beat up the group of popular girls that always used to talk shit about her. Regardless of what anyone says, revenge always feels good.

Freddie's boyfriend, Mitch, never recovered from his death, not even slightly. After a few months of battling his misery, he finally took it upon himself to swallow his bottle of antidepressants before going to bed that night. He didn't wake up in the morning.

Wisteria's family started a side program in their bakery that handed out free food to hungry people in their district.

Ike's little sisters grew up to become three strong, inspirational ladies. One was elected mayor, one became a teacher, and the other started a support group for people dealing with death and loss.

Petunia's parents, after a few years, had another baby. He helped fill the empty spot in their hearts, but they never forgot about their daughter.

Aspen's uncle, who owned a large lumber company in District Seven, started firing slacking workers left and right. After that, if you could put on your resume that you worked at Buckley's Lumber Company, you were almost guaranteed your next job.

After Flora died, the next two oldest's kids, Julian and Andrew, were the new heads of their household. Flora's mom continued to struggle with drug abuse until the day she died though.

Rory's sister, Serra, had it rough for a few years after her brother died. After being a delinquent for so much time though, she decided to turn her life around and got on a better path.

Cherry's parents on the other hand, never really recovered either. Cherry's friend, Tawny, often came to visit them though to make sure they were still holding up okay.

With Lyle dead, Mr. Fitzpatrick and Charlie the dog were the only ones left in the house. Mr. Fitzpatrick found companionship in Charlie and soon decided to open up an animal shelter for stray dogs in the district. Saving animals helped him cope with the loss of his son. Along with Mr. Fitzpatrick, Charlie the dog lived a long, healthy life and got to meet a lot of new friends on the way.

Lorelei's older brother remained resentful of the capitol for most of his life. At one point in time, he decided to try to gather an uprising against the capitol, but someone told on him and President Snow had him put to death quickly after.

Christian calmed down after a few years and decided that hating everyone was really draining. He instead put his energy into working on his family's farm and helped raise the baby horse, who's birth Haven never got to see.

Talulah's younger brother became a problem child in the district soon after she died. After narrowly escaping the capitol's wrath quite a few times, when the rebellion came he happily took part in overthrowing the capitol.

Teddy's mom never sobered up. She quit drinking for a while, but after the guilt of her son's death became too much, she quickly went back to her old ways. Teddy's sister, Lily, however, worked hard and got out of that house once and for all when she got enough money.

Adelaide's best friend, May, visited her grave nearly every day for the rest of her life.

Sully's friends had mixed futures. Some of them started working in the coal mines when they turned eighteen, some of them were locked away for lashing out, and some just led simple lives until they grew old and died. One thing they forever had in common though was their anger over their friend's death, which lit a hatred in each of their hearts, mainly for the capitol.

* * *

**A/N: aaaaaand that's a wrap! it's been a long time since this story was first posted and to think that it's complete now is so cool. thank you to everyone who read this, it's been real.**

**i'm out.**


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